Law / United States / 
Connecticut
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Digital Accessibility Policy (Board of Regents Policy 5.14): web content and mobile applications to WCAG 2.1 Level AA
CSCU Policy 5.14 (Digital Accessibility), sections A-D, F-H
In force since .
An accessibility requirements rule binding government bodies.
- Obligation class
- Governance, Reporting
- Conformance standard
- WCAG 2.1 AA
What it requires
- This binds the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities institutions and the System Office; it reaches a vendor only where the institution provides content or applications through a contract, license or other arrangement with a third party (Policy section A).
- If you are a CSCU institution or the System Office, make web content and mobile applications you provide or make available, directly or through contractual, licensing or other arrangements, readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, and meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria and conformance requirements, except where compliance would be a fundamental alteration or an undue financial and administrative burden (Policy section A).
- Remain responsible for the accessibility of digital content and services provided through third-party vendors, contractors or other external arrangements on your behalf (Policy section A).
- A determination of fundamental alteration or undue burden must be made by the institution's president or designee, in a written statement of reasons, and you must still provide access to the benefits of the service through alternative means (Policy section D).
- Conduct regular accessibility reviews of web content and mobile applications using automated testing and manual evaluation, and from 2027 submit an annual digital accessibility report by May 1 to the CSCU Office of Compliance, including both public facing web pages and learning management system content (Policy section H).
- Maintain and promote accessible mechanisms for students, employees and visitors to report accessibility barriers and request accessible formats (Policy section H).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text.
What this law does
The Board of Regents for Higher Education serves as the governing body for the regional community-technical college system, the Connecticut State University System and Charter Oak State College. Section 10a-6 of the General Statutes directs the Board to establish policies and guidelines for those institutions. Under section 10a-88 of the General Statutes, the Board serves as the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System.
Under section 10a-71(a), the Board serves as the Board of Trustees for Community-Technical Colleges. Section 10a-89(a) directs that board of trustees, subject to the state-wide policy and guidelines the Board establishes, to make rules for the government of the Connecticut State University System and determine its general policies.
Section 10a-72(b)(1) directs the board of trustees for the regional community-technical colleges, subject to the same state-wide policy and guidelines, to make rules for the governance of the colleges and determine their general policies.
The Board's Digital Accessibility Policy, Policy 5.14, took effect and applies to all Connecticut State Colleges and Universities institutions, departments, programs and services, including contractors and third-party vendors providing digital content or services on behalf of the system.
All CSCU institutions and the System Office must ensure that web content and mobile applications they provide or make available, directly or through contractual, licensing or other arrangements, are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
The policy does not apply to archived web content, preexisting conventional electronic documents unless updated or actively used, and certain other listed content, but documents made broadly available in the learning management system must be accessible. Web content and mobile applications must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, except where compliance would result in a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burdens.
The institution has the burden of proving a fundamental alteration or undue burden. Each institution must conduct regular accessibility reviews of its web content and mobile applications and must maintain and promote accessible mechanisms for reporting accessibility barriers and requesting accessible formats.
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