Digital Accessibility Implementation Teams
On Sept. 5, UIC leadership sent a message to the campus regarding the university's compliance obligations to make all digital content accessible by April 24, 2026. This includes all course materials, websites, social media, mobile apps and other digital content created by UIC.
The chancellor charged the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee to lead this effort. Associate Chancellor for the Office for Access and Equity Caryn Bills and Director of Digital Accessibility Jemma Ku are co-chairs.
Information, resources and guidance will be forthcoming from these three implementation teams:
Course Material Accessibility Implementation Team
Chair: Sophia Hamilton, director of the Disability Resource Center
Comprised of representatives from Technology Solutions, the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, Instructional Design & Media Productions Studio, Disability Cultural Center, UIC Library, Learning Technology Solutions and faculty, this implementation team provides resources, training and consultation for faculty to conform with digital accessibility requirements.
To begin addressing course material accessibility in your unit, we suggest department leadership review and distribute:
- Course Materials Accessibility Requirements
- Course Materials Accessibility Guides by Software
- Course Materials Accessibility Guides by Topic
- Content by topic will be expanded into an asynchronous Blackboard course that will be available in the spring. Faculty and staff can sign up for the spring Blackboard course and earn a digital badge for completion.
- Digital Accessibility Office Hours held bi-weekly, themed by topic
- The Course Material Accessibility team can provide college leadership with Ally data to set goals and monitor progress of Blackboard materials.
This implementation team is in close contact with Learning Technology Solutions regarding any changes to the Learning Management System in the future. Accessible course content is foundational to any learning management system.
Compliance, Outreach and Education Implementation Team
Chair: Peter Berg, ADA coordinator
This team will assist the university and UI Health in complying with accessibility requirements through outreach and education. Content, resources and fact sheets about the regulatory requirements are available at the UIC Digital Accessibility Resources Portal.
Websites, Admin Apps, Mobile Apps and Electronic Documents
Co-chairs: Jemma Ku and Helen Zhou, Digital Accessibility Services, Technology Solutions
This implementation group is committed to ensuring the accessibility of websites, administrative tools, mobile applications and electronic documents. Led by the Digital Accessibility Services and Engineering Team in Technology Solutions, it provides:
- Digital accessibility consultation services
- Accessibility evaluation and monitoring services
- Digital accessibility training and webinars
- Leadership for building inventories for websites, administrative and mobile apps and electronic documents
Technology Solutions coordinates the UIC Accessibility Liaison Program and UIC Accessibility Community Team Channel, which facilitates digital accessibility training and distributes accessibility resources across campus.
Consultations and accessibility trainings are available by request by emailing accessibility@uic.edu.