Digital Accessibility for Everyone

university of new orleans
digital accessibility for everyone

Digital Accessibilty: This is for everyone

Spotlight:
Accessible by Design: Canvas Top 5 Trouble Spots

This sprint will highlight five common accessibility issues that frequently arise in Canvas—such as heading structure, link text, image descriptions, document uploads, and page formatting. Participants will review quick examples and simple checkpoints, with time for Q&A at the end.

March 25 | 2:00pm
View full list of workshops

Together, we can make everything digital accessible to everyone.

We all play a part in making everything in 17�Թ��’s digital world open to everyone. We mean websites, software, social media, emails, and all the files students and employees use every day. Start small, learn as you go, and know that every improvement makes a difference.

Student advisor assiting a studnet with online class information

Rules & Standards

Why it matters
17�Թ�� aims to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards , the current benchmark for higher education institutions and government agencies.

Learn about the standards:

Students with digital access to learning materials

Get Started

Small steps you can take today
You don’t need to be a tech expert to start improving accessibility. Here are some beginner-friendly resources to help you make progress one step at a time:

Learn the basics:

4 17�Թ�� Students, arms around each other, smiling for a group photo

Support

To report any accessibility barriers, digitally or physically

Barriers to Access Form

For questions about digital accessibility on campus contact:

Michael Esordi
Digital Accessibility Coordinator

Contact Coordinator

10 Areas of Focus

Websites:
Public-facing and internal university websites/portals.
Point: Michael Esordi

Learning Management System (LMS):
Canvas, course integrations, and content.
Point: Meredith King

Digital Documents & Media:
PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, multimedia (captioning, transcripts, audio description).
Point: Connie Phelps

Training:
Role-based accessibility training for faculty, staff, student workers, and contractors.
Point: Doug Mittelstaedt

Communications & Awareness:
Accessibility statements, awareness campaigns, and institutional communications.
Point: Sarah Bergez

Procurement:
Finance-led accessibility requirements in purchasing/contracts; VPAT collection.
Point: Troy Bacino, Stephen Koltz, Gretchen Smith

Vendor Management:
IT-led validation of technical claims, integration testing, and vendor accountability.
Point: Justin McKenzie

Web Applications & Enterprise Systems:
Enterprise platforms (e.g., University Catalog, Workday, CRMs, HR/Finance systems, chatbots).
Point: Justin McKenzie

Governance & Policy:
Leadership structure, accountability, reporting, and accessibility policy.
Point: Shelia Judge

Social Media:
University-managed accounts across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others.
Point: Evan Vedros

17�Թ���