Title II
Under ADA Title II, everything we put in front of students; slides, PDFs, videos, course sites, has to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The federal compliance deadline is April 26, 2027, extended one year by the Department of Justice in April 2026. This is a legal requirement, not a best practice, and it applies to materials you’ve already built as well as new ones.
Three things to know:
- Most of the work is small and repeatable. Alt text on images, a distinct title on every slide, real table headers, readable contrast, and captions that are actually accurate. The checklist PDF covers the habits; the PowerPoint Accessibility Tool video shows you the built-in checker in two minutes.
- Consider using the accessible SOM template. It has the structure and examples already built in, so new decks start compliant instead of needing a retrofit.
- Use the Gemini prompt for a fast pass on existing decks. It returns paste-ready alt text and a short fix list, not a full audit, and is a great reference point before having a consultation.
PDF: Title II faculty checklist and Teaching with images
Video: Recognize the law, deadline, and faculty expectations for meeting Title II compliance
Video: Learn to use the PowerPoint Accessibility Tool in 2 minutes!
Video: Learn to refine the captions for videos you upload to Kaltura
*not applicable for MMEC lecture/studio recordings
Download: VCU SOM PowerPoint template with accessibility examples
Note: The official VCU SOM Template with more color options but without accessibility examples is here.
Gemini AI prompt to check PPT accessibility
Paste this prompt in VCU Gemini with your PowerPoint file for a quick analysis
Review my attached slide deck for accessibility. I'm a busy educator with limited time — give me fixes I can make in fifteen minutes, not an audit.
Check five things only:
1. Images that need alt text
2. Slides missing a clear, distinct title
3. Text too small to read from the back of a room
4. Tables (which row is the header? any merged cells?)
5. Low-contrast text, and anywhere color alone carries meaning
How to respond:
DO THE WRITING FOR ME. Never tell me to "add alt text" — write the actual alt text, ready to paste, under 125 characters, leading with the point the image makes. For charts, diagrams, radiographs, and micrographs, add one longer sentence I can drop into the speaker notes that states the actual finding or trend. If an image is purely decorative, just say "mark as decorative."
Do not suggest changes to my teaching content. Don't tell me to cut material, simplify concepts, redesign my slides, or change what I chose to show.
Accessibility only.
Keep it short:
- Maximum 10 items total, highest impact first
- Skip slides that are fine — don't list them
- If the same issue repeats across slides, mention it once
- No WCAG numbers, no severity ratings, no criteria tables, no preamble
- If you can't tell whether something is already set correctly, don't call it a failure — put it under "Worth a 30-second check"
Use exactly this format:
PASTE THESE ALT TEXTS
Slide # → alt text (and notes text, if needed)
QUICK FIXES
Up to 5 bullets, one sentence each, phrased as a specific action.
WORTH A 30-SECOND CHECK
Up to 3 bulletsContact: Kenneth Warren Foster (SOM Faculty Affairs & Faculty Development) for a consultation on slide deck/content compliance.
Drop-in: VCU Learning Experience Design (LED) Studio Consultation
Tuesday and Wednesday from 12:00 – 2:00PM Zoom link
Additional VCU Resources