November 13 marks World Usability Day, a global celebration of user-centered design. At UT Austin, this day offers an opportunity to reflect on how usability and accessibility intersect, and why both are essential to our mission.
A lack of accessibility often impacts the usability of a digital resource, and poor usability tends to be magnified as accessibility issues. Whether it’s a course site, departmental webpage, or administrative platform, the UT community relies heavily on our digital environment to conduct business and support learning. When digital tools are difficult to navigate or inaccessible, we risk excluding members of our community from full participation.
To address this, UT Austin has adopted a Digital Accessibility Policy (HOP 3-3014), co-authored by the Digital Accessibility Center (DAC) and the Office of Institutional Accessibility and Accommodation (IAA). This policy formalizes our commitment to accessible digital practices and sets clear standards for websites, documents, software, multimedia, and instructional content used for University business. [VA1] The policy brings us into alignment with federal law changes to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These updates require that we meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at the 2.1 AA level, ensuring our digital resources are accessible to all.
As creators, editors, and stewards of digital content, we all share responsibility for ensuring that our materials are usable and accessible to everyone. The DAC offers services and support to help you meet these standards and improve the experience for all users.
Let’s use World Usability Day to recommit to user-centered design and digital accessibility. For more information on the policy and available resources, visit Digital Accessibility or email the Digital Accessibility Center at digital.accessibility@austin.utexas.edu
Thank you for making UT a more accessible place. Hook ‘em 🤘
Digital Accessibility Center | Enterprise Technology