Digital Accessibility (ADA)

01

Understand ADA Title II

ADA Title II covers state and local governments, including public colleges and universities. The Department of Justice’s web and mobile app accessibility rule uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA as its technical standard. Read the official Title II guidance.

• Title II is especially relevant to NASPA members working at public institutions. NASPA is a membership association, not a state or local government.
• Use these accessibility practices across marketing materials, including websites, documents, email, presentations, and social media.
• For an institution’s legal obligations, deadlines, and exceptions, consult its accessibility or legal team and current Department of Justice guidance.

This page provides practical design guidance, not legal advice or a determination of which ADA provisions apply to a particular organization. Good color contrast alone does not establish ADA or WCAG compliance.

02

Choose readable brand color combinations

A brand color is not automatically readable on every background. Check the text color against the exact background where it will appear.

• Standard text needs at least 4.5:1 contrast. Large text needs at least 3:1.
• Large text means at least 24px at regular weight or about 18.7px in bold (18pt regular or 14pt bold). If unsure, use the 4.5:1 standard.
• White text works on NASPA Blue, NASPA Green, and Navy. Navy text works on White, Mint, and Emerald. Emerald text works on Navy.
• White on Emerald fails both text thresholds. Use Navy text on Emerald, and Navy with White text for primary buttons. Keep Cyan, Emerald, and Mint out of text on White; on light backgrounds, Emerald is a decorative accent, not a meaningful icon or the only cue for a control or state.

The poor-contrast samples are intentional examples of what to avoid. Their labels, hex values, results, and suggested alternatives appear separately in readable text.

03

Make the visual understandable

A strong design stays readable across screens, zoom levels, and different ways of perceiving content.

• Use at least 4.5:1 contrast for standard text and 3:1 for large text.
• Check at least 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors for meaningful graphics and the visual information needed to identify interface controls or states. Make keyboard focus clearly visible.
• Do not use color, position, or shape as the only way to communicate meaning; add labels, patterns, or text.
• Keep essential text large enough for the final output and away from crop zones.
• Write concise alternative text for informative images, charts, and graphics; mark decorative images accordingly.

04

Create useful structure

Structure helps everyone scan content and gives assistive technology a meaningful reading order.

• Use a logical heading sequence and real list formatting.
• Use descriptive links that explain the destination or action.
• Give tables clear headers and avoid using a table only to control layout.
• Caption video, provide transcripts for audio, and describe essential visuals in the spoken content.

05

Test before publishing

Automated checkers are useful, but they cannot determine whether the content is understandable or the alternative text is meaningful.

• Run the accessibility checker in the authoring tool.
• Review reading order, keyboard access, zoom, captions, links, and document properties.
• Inspect the final exported file, not only the editable source.
• Ask a person to review high-impact or complex material when possible.