April 24, 2026 is 5 months away.
On that date, all US universities must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance under ADA Title II. Non-compliance risks:
Loss of federal funding
Student lawsuits (8,800 ADA lawsuits filed in 2024)
OCR investigations
Department chair accountability meetings
If you're reading this in November 2025, you have exactly 20 weeks to get compliant.
Here's your survival guide.
Week 1: Assess the Damage
Before you can fix anything, you need to know what's broken.
Step 1.1: Inventory Your Content
Count everything:
PDFs: Lecture notes, syllabi, textbooks, research papers
PowerPoints: Slide decks, presentations
Videos: Recorded lectures, tutorials
Websites: Department sites, course pages, LMS content
Documents: Word docs, spreadsheets, forms
LaTeX files: Math/science course materials
Tool: Use a file system crawler (or ask IT)
Output: Spreadsheet with file counts by type and department
Step 1.2: Scan for Compliance Issues
Run automated scans on a sample (100-200 files per type):
PDFs: Check for OCR, structure tags, alt text
PowerPoints: Check contrast ratios, alt text, reading order
Videos: Check for captions (not just auto-captions)
Websites: Run axe DevTools or WAVE on 10-20 pages
Tool: Aelira's free open source scanner (or Lighthouse/axe DevTools)
Output: Compliance percentage by content type
Step 1.3: Calculate the Workload
Based on your scan results, estimate:
Manual remediation time:
PDF: 30-60 min per file
PowerPoint: 15-30 min per presentation
LaTeX: 2-4 hours per document (if manual MathML conversion)
Video: 20-40 min per hour of video (caption cleanup)
Total workload: Multiply files × time per file
Example (mid-size department):
1,000 PDFs × 45 min = 750 hours
300 PowerPoints × 22 min = 110 hours
200 LaTeX docs × 3 hours = 600 hours
Total: 1,460 hours = 36 weeks full-time
Conclusion: Manual remediation won't work. You need automation.
Week 2-3: Get Executive Buy-In
You'll need budget approval for tools and/or temporary staff.
The Business Case
Present three options to leadership:
Option A: Do Nothing
Cost: $0 upfront
Risk: Federal funding loss ($X million/year), lawsuits ($100K-$1M each), reputation damage
Recommendation: Not viable post-April 2026
Option B: Manual Remediation
Cost: 1,460 hours × $50/hr = $73K per department
Timeline: 36 weeks (past deadline)
Recommendation: Too slow, too expensive
Option C: Automated Tools + Support
Cost: $1,299-$7,999/mo (depending on tier)
Timeline: 4-8 weeks
Recommendation: Only viable option
Include: ROI analysis showing cost savings vs manual work
Get Sign-Off
You need approval for:
1. Budget ($10K-$100K depending on university size)
2. Faculty participation (testing, feedback)
3. IT resources (server access, LMS integration)
4. Timeline commitment (weekly check-ins)
Output: Signed budget approval, project kickoff meeting scheduled
Week 4-6: Pilot with One Department
Don't try to fix everything at once. Start with a pilot.
Choose Your Pilot Department
Best candidates:
STEM department (tests LaTeX remediation)
Medium size (50-100 faculty, 1,000-2,000 files)
Engaged chair (willing to provide feedback)
High-enrollment courses (maximum impact)
Set Up Aelira (or Alternative Tool)
Option 1: Self-Hosted Aelira (Free)
1. Clone from GitHub: `git clone https://github.com/aelira/aelira-core.git`
2. Deploy via Docker: `docker-compose up -d`
3. Configure for your pilot department
Option 2: Cloud Aelira ($649/mo pilot pricing)
1. Sign up at aelira.ai/higher-ed
2. Create department account
3. Invite faculty (unlimited users)
Bulk Process Content
PDFs:
Upload to Aelira
Run OCR + structure tagging
Generate accessible HTML output
Faculty review + approve
PowerPoints:
Upload presentations
Run contrast + alt text scan
Apply AI-generated fixes
Faculty review + approve
LaTeX (Aelira only - no competitor has this):
Upload .tex files
Convert to MathML + natural language descriptions
Faculty review math accuracy
Export to accessible HTML
Videos:
Upload auto-captions (VTT/SRT)
AI cleanup (fix timing, accuracy)
Faculty review + approve
Publish to Canvas/Blackboard
Measure Success
After 2-3 weeks, measure:
Compliance rate: % of files now WCAG 2.1 AA compliant
Time savings: Faculty hours saved vs manual work
Faculty satisfaction: Survey (1-10 scale)
Remaining issues: What still needs manual work?
Success criteria: >90% compliance, >80% faculty satisfaction
Week 7-10: Roll Out to All Departments
Once your pilot proves successful, scale to all departments.
Phase 1: Critical Departments (Week 7-8)
Prioritize by enrollment:
Top 5 largest departments
High-enrollment courses (101, 201 level)
Graduate programs (research-heavy, lots of LaTeX)
Phase 2: Remaining Departments (Week 9-10)
Medium enrollment departments
Specialized programs
Administrative content (department websites)
Parallel Workstreams
Run these simultaneously:
Workstream A: Content Remediation
IT: Bulk upload files to Aelira
Faculty: Review + approve AI-generated fixes
IT: Publish to LMS (Canvas, Blackboard)
Workstream B: Faculty Training
Host 3-4 training sessions (Zoom + recording)
Cover: How to create accessible content going forward
Provide templates (accessible PowerPoint, Word, LaTeX)
Workstream C: LMS Integration
Install Aelira LTI plugin in Canvas/Blackboard
Enable course-level scanning
Set up automated alerts for new uploads
Week 11-14: Handle Edge Cases
You'll discover content that automated tools can't fix.
Common Edge Cases
1. Complex Tables (PDFs)
Problem: Automated tools struggle with merged cells, nested tables
Solution: Manual remediation by accessibility specialist
2. Scanned Images with Handwritten Notes
Problem: OCR can't read handwriting
Solution: Faculty re-type or provide text alternative
3. Legacy Video (VHS → Digital)
Problem: No transcript exists, audio quality poor
Solution: Manual transcription service ($1-2/min)
4. Third-Party Publisher Content
Problem: You don't own the content, can't modify
Solution: Contact publisher for accessible versions (or find alternatives)
5. Interactive Simulations (Flash, Java Applets)
Problem: No longer supported, inherently inaccessible
Solution: Replace with HTML5 alternatives
Triage Strategy
Categorize remaining issues:
Critical (affects >100 students):
Fix immediately (manual if needed)
Allocate budget for specialist help
High (affects 20-100 students):
Fix within 2 weeks
Use faculty office hours for review
Medium (affects <20 students):
Fix within 4 weeks
Batch with similar issues
Low (archived content, not currently taught):
Fix on-demand when course is taught again
Week 15-18: Faculty Training & Documentation
Compliance isn't one-time—it's ongoing.
Training Program
Session 1: Why Accessibility Matters (1 hour)
Guest speaker: Student with disability
ADA/WCAG overview
University policy
Session 2: Creating Accessible Content (2 hours)
Accessible PowerPoint best practices
Alt text writing guidelines
PDF accessibility (when to use, when to avoid)
LaTeX + MathML (STEM faculty)
Session 3: Tools & Workflows (1 hour)
How to use Aelira (or your chosen tool)
LMS accessibility checker
Where to get help
Provide Templates
Give faculty pre-built accessible templates:
PowerPoint slide decks (accessible color schemes)
Word document templates (proper heading structure)
LaTeX templates (with MathML macros)
Quiz/exam templates (accessible forms)
Create Documentation
Quick Reference Guides:
"How to Add Alt Text to Images" (1-page PDF)
"Accessible Color Contrast Guide" (color palette reference)
"LaTeX Accessibility Checklist" (for STEM faculty)
Video Tutorials (5-10 min each):
"Creating an Accessible PowerPoint"
"Using Aelira to Scan Your Course"
"Fixing PDF Accessibility Issues"
Week 19-20: Final Audit & Reporting
April 2026 is weeks away. Time for final checks.
Department-Level Audits
Each department runs final scans:
Re-scan all remediated content
Verify >95% WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
Document remaining issues + remediation plans
University-Level Report
Compile for administration:
Compliance Summary:
Total files scanned: X
Compliant files: Y (Z%)
Remaining issues: breakdown by type
Remediation timeline for outstanding items
Cost Analysis:
Total spent on tools: $X
Total faculty/staff hours: Y hours
Cost savings vs manual remediation: $Z
ROI: X%
Risk Assessment:
High-risk courses (non-compliant, high enrollment)
Mitigation plan
Legal review (if needed)
Legal Sign-Off
Have your general counsel review:
Are we compliant?
What are remaining risks?
Do we need additional measures?
Post-April 2026: Ongoing Compliance
You're compliant on April 24, 2026. Now what?
Monthly Monitoring
Automated scans of new uploads (LMS integration)
Alerts for non-compliant content
Monthly compliance reports to department chairs
Quarterly Training
New faculty onboarding (accessibility module)
Refresher sessions for existing faculty
Updates on new WCAG guidelines
Annual Audits
Full re-scan of all content
Random sampling for manual verification
Update documentation/processes
Cost Breakdown: 20-Week Plan
Mid-size university (10 departments, 500 faculty, 20,000 files):
Tools & Support:
Aelira Institution Plan: $5,999/mo × 5 months = $29,995
OR Self-Hosted + Support: $2,999/mo × 5 months = $14,995
Labor (assuming Aelira automation):
IT staff (deployment, training): 160 hours × $75/hr = $12,000
Faculty review time: 500 hours × $0 (part of job) = $0
Accessibility specialist (edge cases): 80 hours × $100/hr = $8,000
Total: $29,995-$49,995
Savings vs manual remediation: $500K-$2M (95-98% cost reduction)
The Tools You Need
Automated Remediation:
Aelira (open source) - PDF, PPT, LaTeX, Video, Website scanning
axe DevTools (free) - Website accessibility testing
Adobe Acrobat Pro ($20/mo) - PDF manual remediation (for edge cases)
Manual Transcription (edge cases):
Rev.com ($1.25/min) - Human transcription
Otter.ai ($10/mo) - AI transcription
LMS Checkers (built-in):
Canvas Accessibility Checker (free, built-in)
Blackboard Ally (built-in, if you have it)
Final Checklist
Print this and check off as you complete:
[ ] Week 1: Content inventory complete
[ ] Week 1: Compliance scan results documented
[ ] Week 2-3: Executive buy-in + budget approved
[ ] Week 4-6: Pilot department >90% compliant
[ ] Week 7-10: All departments >90% compliant
[ ] Week 11-14: Edge cases remediated
[ ] Week 15-18: Faculty training completed
[ ] Week 19-20: Final audit + report submitted
[ ] Post-launch: Ongoing monitoring established
Get Help
Too much to do in 20 weeks?
Contact Aelira for:
Emergency remediation services (we'll handle bulk processing)
Dedicated project manager (weekly check-ins)
White-glove faculty training
Custom reports for administration
Or join the pilot program (50% off, first 50 departments).
The deadline is real. But compliance is achievable.
Let's do this.