ADA Title II deadline extended, digital accessibility progress

Dear UIC students, faculty and staff,

The U.S. Department of Justice has extended the deadline for public entities, including public universities, to comply with ADA Title II, which ensures people with disabilities have equitable access to programs, services and opportunities provided by state and local governments.

The deadline to comply with Title II was Friday, April 24, 2026. The DOJ has since announced an extension, moving the deadline to April 26, 2027.

Over the past four years, Technology Solutions, as well as the entire UIC community, has dedicated substantial effort to improving digital accessibility for our students, faculty, staff and guests.

From establishing a universitywide digital-accessibility policy in 2022 to building a dedicated Digital Accessibility team, responding proactively to ADA Title II and embedding accessibility into our transition to Canvas, UIC has demonstrated a strong and sustained commitment.

Our progress since September 2025 highlights this momentum:

• Strategic planning has more than doubled: 50% of units now have formal accessibility plans (up from 21%).

• Knowledge sharing is expanding: 60% of units report sharing best practices internally.

• Training engagement has surged: Participation has increased by 123%.

• Targeted support has scaled up: More than 370 customized trainings and consultations have been delivered.

• Proactive engagement is rising: 70% of units have partnered on website scanning (up from 45%).

• Course materials accessibility is accelerating: Accessibility improvements have increased by 43% from 6,886 to 9,881 in March.

• Open-source innovation is advancing: Equalify, an open-source ecosystem of accessibility tools, has been built and maintained at UIC.

• UIC AI is making PDFs accessible: Equalify Reflow (beta), an AI service that translates inaccessible PDFs into accessible markdown, has been launched.

This work reflects a coordinated, campuswide effort across colleges, departments and units. More importantly, it signals a meaningful cultural shift: Digital accessibility is no longer viewed solely as compliance, but as a shared value embedded in how we design, teach and communicate.

We appreciate the support of the UIC community and extend our gratitude to the Office of Access and Equity for their early partnership in advancing this work, and to our Learning Technology Solutions group for their continued collaboration, particularly in supporting the Canvas transition and improving course-materials accessibility.

Update to ADA Title II deadline
While the deadline for ADA Title II compliance has shifted, our commitment to accessibility has not. Digital accessibility is now embedded in how we operate, as an ongoing practice grounded in continuous improvement, proactive strategy and innovation.

This is not a finish line, but a meaningful milestone. The deadline extension gives us additional time to deepen our work, strengthen our practices and continue building an accessible, inclusive digital environment for all.

For questions, collaboration or support, please contact [email protected] or visit the Digital Accessibility Resource Hub.

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to accessibility at UIC.

Warm regards,

Jason Maslanka
Chief Technology Officer

JaEun Jemma Ku
Director of Digital Accessibility

For more information, please contact:
Jason Maslanka
[email protected]