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Title II accessibility requirements

Boise State University values accessibility and is committed to following accessibility laws and standards. Boise State Policy 8140 also requires the university’s technologies, including websites and digital content, to be accessible to everyone.

In April 2024, the U.S. government updated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with stronger, clearer rules for web and mobile technologies.

Understanding the law

For many years, Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act have required public institutions like Boise State to provide people with equal access to our services, programs, and activities.

What changed in 2024 is that the U.S. Department of Justice added specific technical requirements that public institutions must follow for:

  • Websites and web applications
  • Mobile apps
  • Digital documents and materials
  • Course content and materials
  • Multimedia content

The new rule officially adopts Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA as the current standard. (Note that we have enforced these standards on our www.boisestate.edu websites for several years.)

For Boise State University, the date we are required to meet the new Title II compliance rule is April 24, 2026.

What content is included?

If someone can access it online as part of a Boise State service, program, or activity, it needs to be accessible.

This includes:

  • Web content: Text, images, audio, video, forms, navigation, and interactive tools.
  • Non-text content: Images, charts, icons, scanned files, and embedded media that need text alternatives.
  • Time-based media: Audio/video that need captions, transcripts, and sometimes audio descriptions.
  • Mobile apps: Boise State apps and app-based services.
  • Documents: PDFs, Word files, Google Docs, slide decks, spreadsheets and any other documents posted online.

Your role in accessibility compliance

Accessibility is a shared responsibility. Anyone who creates, posts, or updates digital materials that support Boise State services, programs, or activities must make sure the content meets the minimum accessibility requirements under ADA Title II.

That includes websites, apps, online services, documents, presentations, and online learning materials.

Limited exceptions

The Title II rule includes a few narrow exceptions. When when an exception applies, if someone asks for an accessible version, you are still responsible for providing one.

Exceptions that apply to Boise State web content:

Preexisting conventional electronic documents

The rule says that these documents usually do not need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA if both are true:

  1. They are Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Google Slides, PDF, or spreadsheet files, AND
  2. They were already available on the website or app before April 24, 2026

What this means

  • You don’t have to make every old document accessible, HOWEVER
  • You do have to make all old documents accessible that people still use to apply for, access, or participate in university services, programs, or activities.
  • After April 24, 2026, if you update one of these old documents, it no longer qualifies for the exception and must be made accessible.
  • All documents that people use to apply for, access, or participate in university services, programs, or activities and that are created after April 24, 2026 must be accessible (this includes student research posters, faculty CVs, research/journal articles, event flyers, etc.).
Documents that are password-protected

A document may not need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards if all three of the following statements are true:

  1. It is password-protected or otherwise secured, and
  2. It is a Word, PowerPoint, PDF, Google Docs, Google Slides, or spreadsheet file, and
  3. It is about a specific person, property, or account.

What this means

  • This does not apply to “everything behind a login.” Being password-protected by itself is not enough.
  • This does not apply to documents meant for broad or public use.
  • This only applies to the document types listed above. If the content is in HTML, it still needs to be accessible.
  • If someone requests an accessible version, you must provide one.
Archiving web content

In simple terms, the rule says that the web content may not have to meet WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines if all four of the following points are met:

  1. The content was created before April 24, 2026 (or it’s a copy of older physical media), and
  2. It’s only kept for reference, research, or recordkeeping, and
  3. It’s in a clearly labeled archived area of a website or platform, and
  4. The content has not been changed since it was archived.

What this means

  • You can’t just label something as “archived.” It must be stored in a separate, clearly identified archive location. For www.boisestate.edu sites, that location is the Special Collections and Archives website.
  • If your website is on the www.boisestate.edu domain, the content is auto-archived at archive-it.org/collections/8092. Click the “URL: https://boisestate.edu” link on that page to access an archived capture of the website, and then add your site/page URL after “boisetate.edu” in the browser. That is the link to point to for your archived content.
  • If you want to pursue a different method of archiving content, contact the WordPress Support Team through the Help Desk to discuss options.
  • After April 24, 2026, archived content that uses this exception can’t be updated. If you change it, this exception will no longer apply and it must be made accessible.
  • Anything created after April 24, 2026 cannot qualify as archived under this exception (though you can still link to archived content on the the Special Collections and Archives website after this date.)

Questions?

Contact the Web Accessibility Team at oitaccessibility@boisestate.edu.