Address Barriers & Complaints

Everyone at U-M has the right to equitable access to digital information.

When a digital accessibility barrier prevents any of us from doing our work, taking our courses, or participating in U-M programs and services, this barrier must be addressed. This applies to all of U-M institutions and campuses and covers information technology assets including websites, web applications, software, and documents.

The University of Michigan recommends the following two-step process to report digital accessibility barriers: 

  1. [Strongly recommended] Submit a digital accessibility barrier report to the Disability Equity Office (DEO), within the U-M Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office. This will launch a formal process to assess and address the barrier.
  2. [Optional] Contact the unit that hosts the inaccessible digital content to notify them of the barrier (assuming contact information is available). In some instances, the unit may be able to resolve the issue before the formal process noted above is concluded.

Learn more about:

After a Barrier is Reported to DEO

  1. Report Received
    • DEO aims to review all received digital accessibility barrier reports within 2 business days of submission. The full barrier resolution process varies in length depending on a number of factors.
    • DEO may seek clarifications from the reporter about the barrier encountered. In accordance with DEO practices, reasonable accommodations to help reporters communicate with DEO will be provided as needed.
    • DEO will protect the identity of the person who reported the barrier to the extent possible.
  2. Barrier Review
    • DEO will perform a review to verify the barrier. In some circumstances, DEO may review an entire system if a report leads to evidence of broader accessibility and compliance issues.
    • Once a barrier is verified, DEO will contact the relevant U-M unit for further information on the IT in question (e.g., context in which it is used) and to identify partners required for remediation.
    • In some cases, barriers may be related to tools a reporter uses to access IT content or systems rather than a barrier present within the content or system itself (e.g., an outdated web browser or customized settings on assistive technology). DEO will provide guidance to the reporter if there are adjustments they can make to resolve the barrier and will assist with following up with tool suppliers in cases where the tool is provided as a service to the U-M community.
  3. Remediation
    • DEO will work with the IT owner to create a remediation plan. The plan may include:
      • Addressing issues specific to the complaint
      • Addressing systemic issues surfaced
  4. Verification of Resolution
    • DEO will verify with the IT owner that remediation has occurred and the barrier has been resolved.
    • DEO will follow up with the barrier reporter to notify them of the resolution and to ask if the identified barrier has been adequately addressed.

Unit Measures that Support Barrier Resolution

It is best practice for units to include an accessibility statement with all digital content and systems that they own/manage. The statement should include contact information so users know where to send notifications about accessibility or other issues. Units who receive reports of digital accessibility barriers are encouraged to contact the Disability Equity Office. DEO can assist units with recommended practices for resolving accessibility issues.

A sample statement is as follows:

“To enable full and equitable participation for individuals with disabilities, the University of Michigan (U-M) is committed to creating and maintaining electronic and information technology that strives to be comprehensively accessible (as outlined in SPG 601.20). Notifications about accessibility issues related to this content can be sent to [contact information]. You may also submit an accessibility barrier report to U-M’s Disability Equity Office.”

Examples of where to post accessibility statements:

  • Applications: Provide accessibility information in help resources and feature a link to accessibility information on the home screen or in a main navigation menu.
  • Canvas Courses: Create an "Accessibility" page. For courses associated with formal academic programs, instructors should consider posting a more comprehensive statement (such as including the language in this syllabus disability accommodations statement).
  • Videos on external platforms: If a video is searchable and viewable on an external platform (e.g., MiVideo, Vimeo, YouTube), include the statement in the video description.
  • Websites: Post statement to an accessibility webpage (linked in header, footer, or main navigation menu).