Association of Research Libraries: ARL ADA Title II Resources Encourage Licensing Born-Accessible Content

From an ARL Blog Post by Katherine Klosek:

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its regulations on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to include standards for making web content accessible for people with disabilities. Two complementary ARL resources emphasize how born-accessible publishing—building accessibility into digital content in the first place—would support students with disabilities in receiving access to coursework and research materials at the same time as their peers, and ensure compliance with the accessibility standards.

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ARL’s written guidance, “ADA Title II Regulations: Implications for Libraries,” includes sample language that libraries can include in license agreements for accessible electronic resources, as well as an overview of the rule, and a table to analyze applicability of the rule to library content.

ARL’s continued advocacy for born-accessible content builds on our 2023 comments to the DOJ on Title II, in which we highlighted strategies by UCB and other ARL member libraries to accelerate the adoption of born-accessible publishing. In the final Title II rule, DOJ stated that it expects options for procuring accessible third-party services will grow in response to its rulemaking.

Direct to Complete Post (Includes Comments by Liz Lorang, Dean of University Libraries at University of Nebraska–Lincoln and  Samantha Teremi, Licensing Librarian at University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News, Publishing