Why CAES Is Changing Its Approach to Digital Materials

At CAES, our mission is to share agricultural, environmental, and Extension knowledge widely — reaching students, faculty, researchers, industry partners, and communities across Georgia. As we move more of our teaching, outreach, and communications into digital formats — web pages, presentations, PDFs, video, and audio — it’s no longer enough to simply “make it available online.”

We must ensure that all digital materials are accessible to every audience — including people with disabilities, non-traditional learners, remote and rural users, and those using a wide range of devices and internet connections.

Here’s why this change matters:

Legal and institutional obligations

Federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, require public institutions to make all digital content accessible.

• The UGA Digital Accessibility Policy affirms that all university digital content and technology must be accessible.
• A new federal rule requires public universities to ensure websites, mobile applications, and digital content are accessible by April 24, 2026.
• The CAES Digital Accessibility Handbook further reinforces this commitment to ensuring all users can engage with college materials online.

Serving our full audience

Accessibility is central to the CAES educational mission. Many of our students, Extension participants, and stakeholders use assistive technologies (like screen readers or captioning) or face barriers such as low bandwidth, non-standard devices, or sensory and motor challenges.

When materials aren’t accessible, we risk limiting who can benefit from our teaching and research.

Research consistently shows that accessible design benefits everyone — for example, captions help in noisy environments, clear headings improve readability, and alternative text supports mobile and low-bandwidth users.

This shift also reflects Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles — designing for flexibility, engagement, and clarity from the start.

Growing digital expectations

CAES and UGA Extension continue to expand digital delivery — webinars, online resources, remote learning modules, and social media outreach. Traffic to the CAES Field Report news articles and expert resources shows increasing public demand and reach through online platforms.

Higher education institutions nationwide still face challenges in meeting accessibility standards, but CAES aims to lead by example.

Consistency, quality, and efficiency

As CAES transitions to more centralized web and learning management systems, accessibility is a key focus. A standardized, college-wide approach helps:

• ensure consistency and quality,
• strengthen college branding, and
• reduce the need for costly fixes after publication.

Using a five-step educational process — Design → Build → Adapt → Review → Deliver — makes accessibility part of the creative process, not an afterthought.

Future-proofing our materials

Accessible content is adaptable, sustainable, and compliant with emerging standards like WCAG 2.1 and 2.2. Building accessibility into our workflows now ensures our materials remain effective across platforms, technologies, and future audiences — while improving efficiency and reducing redundant work.