NC State is committed to providing a barrier-free digital environment for all. That includes managing digital assets to ensure equitable access to digital content, regardless of visual, hearing, cognitive or other disabilities.
By April 24, 2026, all public entities, including institutions of higher education, must ensure their websites and mobile apps comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. We spoke with Rebecca Sitton, university digital accessibility coordinator, about digital accessibility at NC State, compliance with federal guidelines, and efforts to make the campus a more welcoming place for all.
What does digital accessibility look like at NC State, and why is this important for the campus community?
Being accessible in the digital space is something you may not directly see the same way as you can see physical accessibility, such as curb cuts or automatic doors. But it can be measured through increased engagement across all areas, including enrollment, research and giving. In general, 20% of people have disabilities that affect their ability to engage in digital spaces.
Everyone who creates, manages and purchases our digital assets can help ensure more access to digital content, regardless of visual, hearing, cognitive or other disabilities. Under ADA Title II, all web content and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 24, 2026. Regardless of ability, every member of the Wolfpack benefits from accessibility features.
How does digital accessibility create a stronger learning environment for students, and a better work and research environment for faculty and staff?
Accessible course materials allow all learners to engage with the curriculum using their individual abilities and preferred technologies. By supporting various learning modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), accessible design facilitates effective content access, deeper understanding and greater knowledge advancement. Accessible digital content enhances research effectiveness by making it easier and faster for scholars to access, analyze and use the material in their studies.
Specifically, accessibility supports retention and comprehension by making content easier to understand, navigate and use across devices. For example, proper color contrast enhances legibility, especially on mobile devices and in varied lighting. Alternative text provides context when an image doesn’t display. Captions and transcripts don’t just support people who are d/Deaf; they help English Language Learners (ELL), students consuming content in noisy environments, as well as those who simply learn better by reading while listening. Transcripts allow students to search for a specific keyword in a 60-minute lecture, making their study time more efficient. Accessible document formats (like HTML or clean Word docs) reflow on small screens, whereas non-accessible “scanned” PDFs are unreadable.
How are you working with various entities across campus to ensure that they meet federal digital accessibility guidelines by the April 26 deadline?
NC State has a Digital Accessibility Working Group with leads throughout all divisions and colleges. The leads hold various roles on campus and serve as leaders within their organizations to ensure members of their community learn to create, purchase and develop digitally accessible content. Spearheading the working group is a joint effort between Sheri Schwab, vice provost for equal opportunity and the ADA coordinator, Kim Vassiliadis, assistant vice chancellor for outreach, communications and consulting in the Office of Information Technology (OIT), and Rebecca Sitton, university digital accessibility coordinator. They have met with campus partners, including the associate deans and partners, department heads and Faculty Senate.
OIT and DELTA have collaborated to ensure the NC State community has access to professional development opportunities to develop their digital accessibility skills. One joint project is the Join the Accessibility Journey series, which provides instructors with support to develop accessible course materials.
What are some ways that faculty and staff can increase their digital accessibility knowledge, as well as help make their respective department and units’ websites and other digital assets more accessible?
- The Learn it, Audit it, Improve It campuswide initiative is a great guide for faculty and staff. It starts with education. Review the resources available on the accessibility website and complete the two core trainings — Understanding Digital Accessibility at NC State: Your Legal Responsibility and Digital Accessibility Basics.
- Then create an audit of your digital content, assess and prioritize. We have a standard inventory template that can get you started and be customized as needed.
- Address the needs from your inventory and establish long-term accessibility-first workflows.
What is something that people may not know about digital accessibility efforts at NC State?
Digital accessibility has been a continuous university effort since 2003, when the first IT Digital Accessibility Working Group was formed. In 2017, NC State was one of the first institutions to incorporate an accessibility review into the purchase of enterprise-level software systems to ensure access and one of the first to incorporate a website accessibility tool to scan its websites for accessibility.
