This 60 to 90-minute interactive session will blend essential legal information, national resources, live demonstrations, and participant activities to help educators and administrators understand the new ADA Title II accessibility updates and apply them in their daily work. The session will be designed to emphasize both compliance and inclusion, showing how accessible design supports equitable learning for students, families, and communities. Throughout the session, engagement will be continuous and varied, with opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion, device-based interactive polls, hands-on demonstrations, and collaborative problem-solving. Frequent check-ins and short activities will keep participants actively involved and reinforce learning in each segment. By combining direct instruction with interactive practice, the session ensures that every attendee, whether educator or administrator, leaves with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to implement accessibility in meaningful, sustainable ways.
The session will begin with an introduction to the 2026–2027 ADA Title II updates and their impact on schools, districts, and higher education institutions. The presenter will use real examples of inaccessible and remediated materials to illustrate the importance of compliance and how it affects students and families. Audience members will engage in a brief poll using their devices to share what they currently know about accessibility and what challenges they face.
Participants will then be introduced to the SLIDE and POUR frameworks as practical tools for improving accessibility. The presenter will explain how SLIDE (Styles and headings, Links that are accessible, Images with alt text, Designing for accessibility, and Evaluating for accessibility), can be applied using tools built into Google, Microsoft, Canva, and Adobe platforms. Each element of POUR, Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, will be explained with simple, real-world examples. To engage the audience, participants will have the opportunity to test accessibility features. The presenter will model how to create a sample document, slide deck, or presentation in various programs, utilizing built-in accessibility checkers. Participants will then use their own devices to try these steps in real time—adding alt text, checking color contrast, and applying proper headings. A brief, interactive challenge such as an “Accessibility Fix-It Race” will encourage participants to identify and correct accessibility issues in sample materials. This activity provides immediate, tangible skill practice with the tools educators and administrators already use.
The session will then shift focus to the leadership perspective, showing how administrators and district leaders can support staff and educators in meeting compliance requirements. The presenter will outline strategies for incorporating accessibility into professional learning, evaluation systems, and technology planning, utilizing resources from NCADEMI, CITES at CAST, and the AEM Center. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss in small groups or pairs ways they can incorporate accessibility goals into existing school or district initiatives, share examples of successful practices, and identify areas that need improvement.
To close, participants will reflect on what they learned and commit to one actionable step they can take to prepare for ADA compliance at an individual or systematic scale. The presenter will share a digital resource toolkit through a Waklet of digital resources that includes accessibility checklists, templates, and links to ADA compliance guides. The session will end with a reminder that accessibility is not just compliance, it’s a mindset of inclusion that benefits every learner, family, and community member.
Throughout the session, engagement will be continuous and varied, with opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion, device-based interactive polls, hands-on demonstrations, and collaborative problem-solving. Frequent check-ins and short activities will keep participants actively involved and reinforce learning in each segment. By combining direct instruction with interactive practice, the session ensures that every attendee, whether educator or administrator, leaves with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to implement accessibility in meaningful, sustainable ways.
