1. Advancing Digital Accessibility at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette
  2. Digital Accessibility Requirements
  3. Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Digital accessibility is a shared institutional responsibility. Every person who creates, publishes, purchases, or manages digital content at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette has a role in ensuring it is accessible. No single office or team can do this alone.

The baseline that applies to everyone

Regardless of role, every Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette faculty, staff member, and administrator who produces or manages digital content is responsible for ensuring its accessibility. 

This expectation is established in Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ PPM-74 and reinforced in the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette DGA Council charge.

Responsibilities by Role

Faculty and instructors are responsible for the accessibility of all course-related digital content, including materials posted in Moodle, documents distributed to students, multimedia used in teaching, and any digital tools assigned or recommended for course use.

You are responsible for

  • Ensuring all files uploaded to Moodle (PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) are accessible before posting
  • Providing accurate captions for all video content used in instruction, whether recorded or live-streamed
  • Using proper heading structure and alt text in Moodle course pages
  • Selecting or recommending digital tools that meet WCAG 2.1 AA 
  • Providing accessible versions of materials upon request, regardless of timeline
  • Completing required accessibility training as determined by your college or the DGA Council

Where to start

Fix Your Course Materials   Fix Your Documents   Learn About Assistive Technologies 

Web content managers — also known as Web Ambassadors within the University Websites program — are responsible for the ongoing accessibility of their unit’s web presence on louisiana.edu.

You are responsible for

  • Ensuring all pages you publish or edit on louisiana.edu meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
  • Using proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3) in all page content — never bold text as a substitute for headings
  • Writing descriptive alt text for every informational image
  • Using descriptive link text throughout — never ‘click here’, ‘learn more’, or bare URLs
  • Ensuring color contrast meets the 4.5:1 minimum for all body text
  • Not posting inaccessible documents (PDFs, Word files) without first remediating them
  • Running or requesting SiteImprove reports for your site and addressing flagged issues within the timelines set by OCM
  • Completing accessibility training before publishing to a live site

Where to start 

Fix Your Web Content   Fix Your Documents   Learn more about University Websites 

Staff and administrators create a significant volume of digital content — emails, documents, presentations, forms, event materials, and social media posts. All of it is in scope.

You are responsible for

  • Creating accessible Word documents, Excel files, and PowerPoint presentations before sharing or posting them
  • Ensuring mass emails and e-newsletters meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards before sending
  • Using descriptive alt text and captions in social media posts
  • Not distributing documents or forms that have not been remediated for accessibility

Where to start

Fix Your Email Content   Fix Your Documents   Fix Your Social Media 

IT staff and anyone involved in procuring digital tools or platforms hold a critical gatekeeping responsibility. A tool purchased without accessibility review can create barriers for thousands of users that are difficult and expensive to remediate after the fact.

You are responsible for:

  • Requiring a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or equivalent accessibility documentation from all vendors before purchase approval
  • Evaluating VPAT documentation critically — not accepting a VPAT as proof of compliance without review
  • Including accessibility conformance as a criterion in RFPs and procurement evaluations
  • Escalating to Legal Affairs when a vendor cannot demonstrate WCAG 2.1 AA conformance for a mission-critical platform
  • Ensuring that university-developed applications and systems meet WCAG 2.1 AA before launch
  • Coordinating with DGA Council when infrastructure or platform changes affect the accessibility of public-facing digital properties
  • Maintaining documentation of accessibility compliance for all procured platforms

Where to start:

Learn More About VPATs   Review The Scope of Requirements   Review WCAG 2.1 AA Guidelines 

When Responsibility Is Unclear

Digital content often crosses role boundaries — a document created by a faculty member may be posted by a web content manager and distributed by a staff communicator. When the responsible party is unclear:
The unit that controls or publishes the content is accountable for its accessibility.

If a vendor or third-party platform is creating accessibility barriers, IT and the unit contact should coordinate to escalate to the vendor and — if unresolved — to Legal Affairs.

If a student, employee, or visitor reports an accessibility barrier, direct them to the Report an Issue form. Do not tell a person with a disability that a barrier cannot be fixed.

The DGA Council’s Role

The Digital Governance & Accessibility Council provides oversight, coordination, and guidance across all of the above roles. It does not replace individual responsibility — it supports it.