UW-Madison - Digital Accessibility Policy Implementation Plan (DAP)

The following plan describes the implementation of the UW-Madison Digital Accessibility Policy to feasibly and proactively support learners, faculty, staff, and the public with disabilities. Any requirements stated in this overview derive their authority from the policy. In alignment with the UW-Madison Digital Accessibility Standards, this overview has been developed to meet the following policy goals:

• Establish shared institutional responsibility in the university’s capacity to be digitally accessible 
• Aim to reduce the need for accommodations for people with disabilities as a result of inaccessible digital resources and information technology 
• Ensure compliance with the university’s obligations under applicable state and federal regulations

Given UW-Madison’s vast digital landscape, this plan summarizes the following concurrent strategies utilized to implement digital accessibility at UW–Madison, balancing the needs of people with disabilities with the university’s mission and business priorities. These strategies will be executed in partnership with the Digital Accessibility Liaison Network (see Addendum B: Digital Accessibility Liaison Network Overview). Throughout implementation, the Center for User Experience will act as a central resource for UW-Madison supporting the university and disability units with identified digital accessibility barriers affecting students, employees and visitors through services, processes, training, and guides.

Strategies, goals and description

Strategies	Goal	Description
Addressing immediate digital accessibility needs	Respond to digital accessibility barriers reported by users, support units in addressing barriers, and systemically improve accessibility through collaboration with UW-Madison units.	Manage immediate digital accessibility needs through digital accessibility practices and processes. The Center for User Experience, the UW-Madison ADA Coordinator, and individual unit Digital Accessibility Liaison(s) will: Identify and document immediate digital accessibility barriers impacting current users: Propose resources and processes to address the barriers Collaborate with UW-Madison offices to implement a strategic solution based on available resources Document unaddressed needs and resulting legal risk due to resource restrictions Propose future allocation to support unaddressed areas
Phased implementation of the Digital Accessibility Policy	Implementation of digital accessibility over the long term.	Implementation of the refreshed UW-Madison Digital Accessibility Policy in an organized, phased approach in partnership with the Digital Accessibility Liaison Network (as much as each unit’s resources will allow) 3 through due diligence digital accessibility efforts over a decade. For an overview of phases and timeline see the Addendum A: Timeline and milestones for the phased implementation of the Digital Accessibility Policy.

Addendum A: Timeline and Milestones for the Phased Implementation of the Digital Accessibility Policy 

To support our university’s mission and business goals, this implementation rolls out the UW-Madison Digital Accessibility Policy in an organized, phased approach, allowing appropriate allocation of resources necessary to onboard all university units successfully and managing institutional needs by systematically addressing them over a multi-year implementation. This addendum references the UW–Madison Digital Accessibility Liaison Network (see Addendum B: Digital Accessibility Liaison Network overview) as described in the Digital Accessibility Policy. 

Phases and milestones

Phase	Milestones
Policy Approval July 2021 - Nov 2021	Present the Digital Accessibility Policy to IT governance for review and to request approval.
Delivery of Training July 2021 - July 2023	The Center for User Experience will: Deliver a free training program for UW-Madison to support a division, school or college’s accessibility efforts. The training program will also support future Digital Accessibility Liaisons, content creators, managers, and designers/developers in gaining skills in digital accessibility.
Policy Communication and Resource Development July 2021 - July 2023	The Center for User Experience will: Establish marketing and communications to onboard the university community to the new policy once approved, its effective dates, the upcoming development of support mechanisms, procedures, and liaison network to facilitate policy implementation. Resource development of Center for User Experience staffing and funding to support policy implementation.
DAL Communications and Support Structure July 2022 - July 2023	Set up resources for Digital Accessibility Liaison (DAL) Network (see Addendum B). Units can begin designating Digital Accessibility Liaisons and sharing that designee’s name and contact information with the Center for User Experience.
Procurement July 2022 - July 2023	The Center for User Experience will work with central procurement and unit procurement teams to integrate accessibility requirements and contract language into the procurement process.
Policy Effective Date (July 1, 2023)	The policy, implementation plan, and standards take effect July 1, 2023. Digital Accessibility Liaison designee(s) contact information due - Schools, colleges, and divisions share their Digital Accessibility Liaison designee(s) to the Center for User Experience by July 1, 2023.
Document Accessibility July 2023 - July 2024	Documents (including but not limited to Word documents, PDF documents, and Google Docs) will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
LMS and LTI Accessibility July 2024 - July 2025	Learning Management Systems (LMS), for example Canvas, and Learning Technology Integrations (LTI), for example Canvas LTIs used in courses, will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
Multimedia Accessibility July 2025 - July 2026	Video and audio content will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
Website Accessibility July 2026 - July 2027	Website content accessibility will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
Web App Accessibility July 2027 - July 2028	Web app accessibility will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
Mobile App Accessibility July 2028 - July 2029	Mobile app accessibility will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.
Local Software Accessibility July 2029 - July 2030	Local software accessibility will be prioritized by the university under implementation of the policy based on the conformance requirement table.

Addendum B: Digital Accessibility Liaison Network Overview 

To support compliance with the UW–Madison Digital Accessibility Policy, each school, college, division, or administrative unit designates Digital Accessibility Liaison(s), and notifies the ADA Coordinator and the Center for User Experience of the appointment or any changes to the designee. 

Digital Accessibility Liaison(s) serve as the primary contact(s) for their unit and, in collaboration with the Center for User Experience and as resources allow, implement the requirements of the UW–Madison Digital Accessibility Policy in their unit. The Center for User Experience provides the liaisons with guidance on the acquisition, development, delivery of digital resources and information technology, and supports the liaison in responding to accessibility requests, complaints, and remediation within their units.

The intention of the Digital Accessibility Liaison network is to: 

• Be flexible with the needs and resources of individual units
• Create a direct communication channel between the Center for User Experience and the units implementing the policy to modify support as needed 
• Establish a reporting network of due diligence efforts as well as resource restrictions associated with compliance. For example, resource restrictions for an individual unit may require that implementation follows a longer timeline. The liaison and the Center would communicate about these 6 restrictions and document a more flexible plan. 

Units may choose to create a team or small committee to act as Digital Accessibility Liaison(s) and spread the roles and responsibilities across multiple individuals; or select a single designee for their group liaison. Regardless of arrangement, the Center for User Experience will support designee(s) with onboarding to the Digital Accessibility Liaison Network, accessing training, and facilitating adoption of practices associated with an organized transition to improved accessibility for that school, college, or division.

Roles and Responsibilities 

The table below details the responsibilities of the Digital Accessibility Liaisons and the support provided by the Center for User Experience. 

Digital Accessibility Liaison (DAL) Responsibilities

DAL requirements and CUE support and resources

Minimum DAL Requirement	Center for User Experience Support and Resources
Act as the designated (by their unit) digital accessibility representative for their unit’s digital resources. Shares resources and information about policy compliance with their broader unit. Have general knowledge of the digital resources and information technology owned by their unit.	Central services available to support the DAL and unit Digital Accessibility Evaluation and Consulting Service DAL training

If units choose to and are able to expand the role of the Digital Accessibility Liaison to support compliance with the policy, the suggested activities below provide additional ways to do so. In lieu of the Digital Accessibility Liaison performing these activities, the Center for User Experience will provide units with resources (as detailed in the column below labeled “Center for User Experience support and resources”) for scenarios that meet the criteria of the conformance requirement table.

Unit-Level DAL support and CUE support and resources

Unit-Level Support provided by DAL (as needed and as unit resources allow)	Center for User Experience Support and Resources
Digital Resource and Information Technology Evaluation Coordinate support for their unit through the Center for User Experience to conduct accessibility evaluations of existing and newly developed, acquired, or procured digital resources and information technologies in their unit to identify and document accessibility barriers. Coordinate communications, processes, and accessibility assistance support.	Central services available to support the DAL and unit  Digital accessibility procurement support Digital Accessibility Evaluation and Consulting Service Supporting guides  Procuring accessible technology guide  Developing accessible content and technology guide  Vendor relations support  DAL training
Business Process Development/Integration Working with developers, content creators, and others in their unit, integrate digital accessibility best practices into existing business processes by pointing their colleagues to training and resources from the Center for User Experience.	Templates Processes and procedure templates Testing protocols and reporting templates for accessibility evaluations DAL training
Reporting and Engagement Evaluate their unit’s digital resources and information technology as necessary and report evaluations to the Center for User Experience and the ADA Coordinator. Read communications from the Center for User Experience regarding the Digital Accessibility Policy and related practices. Attend DAL trainings.	Reporting/engagement tool  Central location for reporting, communication, and support requests  Central location for guidance and resources Digital Accessibility Community of Practice coordinated by the Accessible Technology Advisory Group (ATAG) Guides and templates  Processes and procedure templates  Testing protocols and reporting templates for accessibility evaluations DAL training
Strategic Planning, Road Mapping, and Remediation Develop a strategic plan and roadmap for accessibility improvements in their unit. Prioritize digital resources and information technology in their unit for accessibility improvements. Collaborate with developers, and contracted accessibility services, and information technology vendors to remediate barriers.	Central services available to support The DAL and unit  Digital Accessibility Consulting Service DAL training Guides and templates Prioritization rubric Testing protocols and reporting templates for accessibility evaluations Documentation templates  Strategic plan template  Developing accessible content and technology guide Vendor relations support

Addendum C: Questions and Answers about Policy Compliance

Q&A

Question	Answer
Will I need to make my digital resources and information technology accessible by the policy effective date?	No. Though as an institution we do have a current obligation to meet the current Web Accessibility Policy, the new Digital Accessibility Policy provides a structured implementation timeline for when units will need to focus efforts to comply with the updated policy.
How much money/additional resources will this cost my unit?	We have designed an implementation plan and timeline to allow units to implement this policy with the flexibility to manage the accessibility of their digital resources and information technology as their unit’s resources allow. The intention of the policy is for units to incorporate digital accessibility best practices (per the Digital Accessibility Standards) into their existing business processes; and to not incur additional costs in services as much as possible. For example, units currently paying for captioning services will continue to pay for those services, but will likely not see a significant increase in spend. Given that this policy focuses sharply on ensuring that digital resources and information technologies required to comply with the policy are accessible, a unit may find the need for additional resources when building, procuring, or managing that digital resource or information technology. All the resources a unit may need for building, procuring, or managing a digitally accessible resource is typically already available, free of charge, through the Center for User Experience. Other investments of time and effort include designating a Digital Accessibility Liaison(s), with a minimum requirement for the Liaison to act as a representative for their unit to receive and share with their unit information about compliance with the Digital Accessibility Policy. Digital Accessibility Liaisons may provide unit-level support (in collaboration with the Center for User Experience) if a unit chooses and has the resources to do so.
Do I need to hire a new position to act as the Digital Accessibility Liaison?	Your unit may choose to do so, but it is not necessary for policy compliance. Per the implementation plan, you may structure the designation of the Digital Accessibility Liaison as your unit sees fit. The responsibilities of the Liaison can be flexed depending on your unit’s resources. A singular unit may even designate multiple Digital Accessibility Liaisons as it sees appropriate for its own business operations.
Will I need to hire a professional captioning service for every video?	No. Per the policy, standards, and implementation plan, and as demonstrated in the Policy Compliance Scenarios, the need to professionally caption a video is determined by the policy conformance requirement presented by the context and audience of the video, as detailed in the Conformance Requirement table. However, as an inclusive best practice, we encourage you to caption your videos as possible, using a choice of methods detailed in the Create Accessible Video and Audio Content guide.
Do all my course materials need to be accessible?	No. Per the policy, standards, and implementation plan, and as demonstrated in the Policy Compliance Scenarios, the need to make course content accessible is determined by the policy compliance requirement presented by the context and audience of the video, as detailed in the Conformance Requirement table. However, as an inclusive best practice, we encourage you to make your course content as accessible as possible, using a choice of methods detailed in the Make it Accessible guides.
My course content is available to the public, or I give presentations to and share content with the general public. Does this content need to be accessible?	Yes. Per the Conformance Requirement table, if UW-Madison-created content is open to the general public, we must make that content accessible. The Make it Accessible guides provide best practices for making content accessible, and the Center for User Experience is a central resource to support units with content accessibility.

The Digital Accessibility Implementation Overview is maintained by UW–Madison’s Center for User Experience under the direction of UW-Madison’s ADA Coordinator and the Vice Provost of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. Revisions of the policy implementation plan will be reviewed and approved by IT Governance per UW-Madison Policy 510. The Vice Provost of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, the ADA Coordinator, or the Center for User Experience may initiate a revision by contacting the Policy Planning & Analysis Team (PAT) who will engage IT Governance.

Updates are communicated to the university community through Digital Accessibility Liaisons as well as university mass communication channels. Implementation of updates are supported at the individual unit level by the local Digital Accessibility Liaison(s), under the oversight of the Center for User 2 Experience, which is under the direction of the Vice Provost of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer.