Meeting Digital Accessibility Requirements

What are the Requirements?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the W3C, are the internationally recognized benchmark. The current version is WCAG 2.2, with WCAG 3.0 in development. Content is evaluated against four principles (POUR):

Perceivable

Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive — e.g., alt text for images, captions for video.

Operable

UI components must be navigable — e.g., full keyboard accessibility, no seizure-triggering content.

Understandable

Content and UI must be understandable — e.g., readable text, predictable navigation.

Robust

Content must work with assistive technologies — e.g., valid, semantic HTML.

Practical Requirements (WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA)

  • All images have descriptive alt text
  • Videos have captions and transcripts
  • Sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 for normal text)
  • Full keyboard navigation without a mouse
  • No content that flashes more than 3 times per second
  • Forms have clear labels and error messages
  • Pages have logical heading structure
  • Links have descriptive text (not just “click here”)
  • PDFs are fully remediated

Making your BruinLearn Site Accessible

Campus Resources

Website Accessibility FAQ

What about department and center sites managed by HumTech?

Sites on HumTech’s managed platform are not at risk of being taken down due to accessibility issues in the near term. Our existing platform reflects prior compliance work and meets a reasonable baseline.

We’re in the final stages of rolling out a new platform that is substantially more accessible, more secure, and easier to manage. Our focus is on getting departments onto this new foundation rather than patching what’s already there, and each new site will go through manual accessibility review with DCP before going live.

We’re planning to bring sites over during the summer and will be in touch with each unit as we get there. If you’d like to get started sooner, feel free to reach out at webops@humnet.ucla.edu.

What about project and non-departmental sites?

Accessibility requirements extend to project sites and applications as well. If you’re managing one of these independently, remediation is yours to own. We’d encourage you to reach out to DCP at dcp@oarc.ucla.edu to get enrolled in Siteimprove and get some support.

Can I use Siteimprove on my current site?

Siteimprove isn’t compatible with our existing platform, but we’re working with DCP to identify and address any significant issues in the meantime. Once your site is on the new platform, full Siteimprove enrollment comes as part of the launch process.

How do I get support?

There’s quite a bit that content owners can do on their own: accessible PDFs and documents, alt text on images, and well-organized page content all make a real difference. DCP also offers training at dcp.ucla.edu/training if you’d like to dig in.

If you have questions, please reach out: