University Digital Accessibility Policy

USF is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming community. We have a legal obligation to make sure all of our digital content is WCAG 2.2 AA Accessibility Guidelines compliant. Making our web presence accessible to all is also the right thing to do, as well as consistent with our values as a Jesuit institution.

Toward meeting the University of San Francisco’s (USF) commitment to accessibility, USF expects university technology and services (UTS) and all university digital content (UDC) to conform to applicable Digital Accessibility Standards to the fullest extent possible.

For the purposes of this Policy, the Digital Accessibility Standards (or “the Standards”) are The World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1, Level AA Conformance (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) for websites and web-based applications and services. Vendors must provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). If a vendor cannot provide a VPAT, the business unit VP or college/school Dean must submit an exception request to the VP of Office of Marketing Communications (VP-OMC), ITS Chief Innovation Officer, VP-CIO (VP-CIO) and Office of General Counsel (OGC).

The Path Forward

New Instances of UTS

Instances of UTS newly purchased, licensed, or internally developed after September 1, 2025 are expected to conform to the Standards to the fullest extent possible at the point of rollout or implementation. Where such conformance with the Standards is not technically feasible or may require extraordinary measures due to the nature or purpose of the UTS, the business unit’s VP or college/school’s Dean must a) submit an exception request to the VP-OMC, VP-CIO and OGC and b) fund the remediation work.

New University Content

Starting on June 1, 2025 , any USF users posting, distributing or publishing University digital content should aim to make such content conform to the Digital Accessibility Standards, to the extent technically feasible. Where conformance with the Standards is not technically feasible, USF users should consider how to make university digital content available in an alternative format accessible (as defined above) to persons with disabilities.

Procurement Considerations

USF personnel purchasing or procuring UTS are responsible for ensuring that they have adhered to USF’s Procurement Policy. Additionally, personnel working with suppliers or vendors seeking to develop or provide UTS should ensure vendors/suppliers are aware of this Policy and that contracts with such vendors hold the vendors/suppliers accountable to the Standards to the fullest extent possible.

Definitions

“university technology and services (UTS)” is information technology or technology services purchased, developed, deployed, or used for University Business and, in the case of web-based or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and websites, is hosted on a USF-owned or -controlled domain.

“information technology” includes software; server-based, personal computer, mobile device, and web-based or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and websites; website hosting and design services; development, hosting, maintenance, and archiving services; cloud-based applications and information processing or storage services; digital hardware interfaces; and digital database configurations and interfaces.

“university digital content” is digital content created, posted, distributed or published for University Business.

“digital content” consists of any information or communication accessed or displayed in a digital format or medium, as text, image, audio, or video.

“University Business” includes activities carried out by USF faculty and staff in furtherance of USF’s mission of teaching and research but does not include activities organized or conducted by students or student organizations.

Specific information technology covered by this Accessibility policy includes, but is not limited to:

• Websites
• Software applications
• Computers and peripherals
• Videos, images and audio content
• Electronic documents (e.g. PDFs)
• Emails
• Text messaging

Examples within the above categories include:

• Web-based or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications
• Learning management systems
• Campus-wide administrative applications
• Content management systems
• Classroom technologies
• Lecture capture solutions
• Cloud-based applications
• Emails, newsletters, and event invitations
• Library resources

Entities covered by this policy include academic, administrative, and all other units that support the University's mission and support services through utilization of University-supported information technology.

Responsibility

The University expects that Leadership will promote broad awareness of this Policy. Improving digital accessibility requires the attention and commitment of the entire University community. Accordingly, all members of the USF community should be mindful of this Policy and aim to ensure that University Content they post to, publish on, or communicate through UTS is accessible.

Where possible, including on websites operated by the University, USF administrators should indicate commitment to accessibility by posting a link to this Policy.

Resources and Support

The University is committed to providing resources and support to the USF community in order to effectuate this Policy.

Digital Accessibility Steering Committee (DASC)

The Digital Accessibility Steering Committee convenes as needed to review exception requests and to revisit/update the policy. the DASC is responsible for (1) providing periodic review and revision of this Policy and its Implementation Procedures, including making appropriate updates to the Policy’s Standards definition as industry standards and practices evolve, with recommendations going to the VP-OMC, VP-CIO and OGC; (2) working with the Leadership Team to promote general awareness of this Policy; (3) assessing and reporting to the VP-OMC, VP-CIO and OGC accessibility efforts as outlined in this Policy; and (4) overseeing the process to review and decide on requests for Policy exceptions.

The DASC members include representation from ITS, OMC, Purchasing, Risk Management and OGC.

University Disability Resources

As part of our commitment as a Jesuit institution to cura personalis, USF makes every effort to ensure an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming learning and working environment for all persons with disabilities while complying with federal and state regulations.

• Student Disability Services
• Web Accessibility Resources
• Working Group on Universal Access

Exceptions and Remediation

The business unit’s VP or college/school’s Dean are responsible for submitting an exception to this Policy and will also be required to submit how they will fund the remediation. This will be reviewed by the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee (DASC) before it’s presented to the VP-OMC, VP-CIO and OGC for final approval.

The DASC may require that some or all non-conforming portions of an instance of University Content or technology be brought into conformity in a reasonable time and at the expense of the requestor. The Requestor will be required to provide updates every 6 months on progress.

Upon a specific request by an individual end user who is unable to access specific University Content due to non-conformance to the Standards, either the requested content must be updated to conform to the Standards in a reasonable time and at the expense of the requestor, or the requested content otherwise must be made available in an alternative format in a timely manner.

Disclaimer

This Policy establishes internal guidelines and expectations for the purpose of promoting and advancing digital accessibility at USF. USF reserves the right to modify the Policy unilaterally at any time. The Policy is not intended to create, nor does it create, any contractual or other legal obligation on USF’s part, or any contractual or other legal right for any member of the USF community or the general public.