Accessibility in course design and delivery matters in higher education because it ensures that all students have equal opportunities to learn and succeed. The College of Southern Idaho has a legal and ethical responsibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which require equal access to educational resources.
Federal law is changing regarding digital accessibility as a new Title II ADA rule goes into effect April 26, 2026. This law is designed to provide needed clarity and consistency by establishing what technical standards faculty need to abide by in the delivery of digital course materials.
Specifically, the standard will be the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
Uniquely for a college such as CSI and the instructors who teach here, accessibility must occur at two levels:
Our primary Learning Management Software (meaning the vehicle we use to deliver course content) at CSI is Canvas. Instructure, the parent company for Canvas, prioritizes meeting the highest accessibility standards. You can read more at these locations: Canvas Accessibility Standards, and the Canvas Accessibility Hub.
In the Teaching & Learning Center, we also teach CSI students and thus use Canvas and other digital tools to teach every day. If you have questions about accessibility in your courses, please contact us for a consultation. We'd love to help you to explore software tools available to CSI instructors that can support you in meeting accessibility standards.