Law / United States / 
Texas
Texas Department of Information Resources accessibility standards for institutions of higher education (subchapter C of chapter 213, as amended effective June 16, 2026)
1 Tex. Admin. Code secs. 213.31, 213.33, 213.37 and 213.39 to 213.42
In force since .
An accessibility requirements rule binding government bodies.
- Instrument type
- a regulation made under an act
- Obligation class
- Governance, Disclosure
- Conformance standard
- US Section 508 standards
What it requires
- If you are an institution of higher education, make all electronic and information resources hardware you develop, procure or change comply with the standards referenced in US Section 508 Appendix C Chapter 4, sections 401 to 415, unless the president or chancellor approves an exception or an exemption has been made for specific technologies (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.33(a)).
- When you purchase telecommunication equipment or services, contractually require the manufacturer of the equipment or the provider of the services to ensure that they comply with 47 U.S.C. section 255 and 36 C.F.R. section 1194.2, Appendix B, when such products are readily available or compliance is achievable (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.31).
- Include in your accessibility policy standards and processes for handling exception requests for all electronic and information resources (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.37(2)).
- Have the president or chancellor approve in writing any exception for a material difficulty or expense pertaining to significant barriers to users, before the procurement, completion, use or deployment, or at the point the barrier is identified if the vendor cannot immediately remedy the failure to comply (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.37(3)).
- Maintain records of approved exceptions in accordance with your records retention schedule (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.37(5)).
- Have the president or chancellor ensure that appropriate staff receive the training necessary to comply with chapters 206 and 213 (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.39(a)).
- Consider including accessibility criteria in job descriptions where the position is responsible for electronic and information resources (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.39(b)).
- Complete the accessibility survey the Department of Information Resources distributes within the deadlines it establishes, and support your answers with institutional documentation (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.40).
- Publish to your website a current accessibility policy that confirms your compliance with the standards and specifications of the chapter and sets out an institution-approved plan, with a process for corrective actions, to bring your electronic and information resources into and keep them in compliance (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.41(a)).
- Designate a Digital Accessibility Officer who oversees institution-wide compliance, tell the Department of Information Resources who it is, and tell it again within 30 days whenever the position is vacant or filled anew (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.41(b)).
- Comply with the minimum standards the chapter establishes and with federal law, and where two federal standards differ, adopt the higher (1 Tex. Admin. Code sec. 213.42).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text.
What this law does
The Department of Information Resources adopted sections 213.33, 213.37 and 213.39 to 213.42 of subchapter C of chapter 213 of title 1 of the Texas Administrative Code, the accessibility standards for institutions of higher education, without changes to the text it proposed on .
An institution of higher education must make all electronic and information resources hardware that it develops, procures or changes comply with the standards referenced in US Section 508 Appendix C Chapter 4, which begin with section 401 General and section 402 Closed Functionality. An institution's accessibility policy must include standards and processes for handling exception requests for all electronic and information resources.
The president or chancellor of an institution of higher education must approve exceptions in writing. Each exception must be approved before the procurement, completion, use or deployment, or at the point the barrier is identified if the vendor is unable to immediately remedy the failure to comply. Institutions of higher education must maintain records of approved exceptions in accordance with the institution's records retention schedule.
Each institution of higher education must consider including accessibility criteria in job descriptions where the position is responsible for electronic and information resources. Each institution of higher education must complete the accessibility survey that the department distributes under Texas Government Code section 2054.464. Each institution of higher education must publish to its website a current accessibility policy.
The policy must include an institution-approved plan to bring its electronic and information resources into and keep them in compliance, with a process for corrective actions to remediate non-compliant items. Section 213.41 retitles the institution's accessibility coordinator as the Digital Accessibility Officer.
An institution of higher education must inform the Department of Information Resources of its designation of a Digital Accessibility Officer, including the individual's name, contact information and other information in the format the department prescribes. Institutions of higher education must comply with the minimum expected standards the chapter establishes and with federal law, and where discrete federal standards differ they must adopt the higher of the two.
Section 213.31, adopted on the same terms, requires an institution of higher education, when purchasing telecommunication equipment or services, to contractually require the manufacturer of the equipment or the provider of the services to ensure that they comply with 47 U.S.C. section 255 and 36 C.F.R. section 1194.2, Appendix B, when such products are readily available or compliance is achievable.
The president or chancellor of each institution of higher education must ensure that appropriate staff receive the training necessary to comply with chapters 206 and 213.
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