Revisions to the ADA: File Formats

Beginning April 24, 2026, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be updated with specific guidelines* about what makes digital content accessible. These guidelines apply to all content from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), including websites, mobile apps, social media, emails and other communications, as well as course materials – but for documents, only specific file formats are covered.

Table of Contents

• The Big Four: Document File Formats
• Videos
• Instructional & Educational Technology
• Faculty Websites
• Other Document Formats

The Big Four: Document File Formats

The updated ADA guidelines focus on four commonly used file types:

• PDF
• Word processor files (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages)
• Presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Apple Keynote)
• Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers)

The Universal Design Center (UDC) offers live workshops, recordings, Canvas courses, on-demand resources, tools, and consultations to help you make your Big Four files accessible. Get started on our Faculty and Accessibility Canvas Courses pages.

For PDFs, it’s easier to make the original or source file accessible and then convert to PDF. If you don’t have access to the source file, you still have a few options. 

UDC recommends against using Apple’s Pages, Keynote and Numbers to create content to be distributed. If you do use these applications, convert the file to Microsoft Office and run Office’s Accessibility Checker before sharing with students. Microsoft Office is available to all CSUN faculty, staff, and students.

Videos

Videos are also included and they must have captions. Contact the NCOD: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, and they will caption videos used for instruction at no cost to your department. 

If your video shows information that is only displayed and not narrated, the technique to make the video accessible is called “audio descriptions.” Audio descriptions do what the name suggests: narrate important visual information. 

If  you have students with accommodations and you use videos that might need audio descriptions, contact Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) or the UDC. UDC also holds a training workshop on video accessibility every semester. The recording, slides, and additional resources are available through our Training Videos and Resource page.

Instructional & Educational Technology

The new ADA guidelines also apply to web and mobile apps used for instruction. These apps should have gone through the accessible technology review process, even if they are not university purchases.

During those reviews, the UDC team first assesses the risk to the university posed by the app and then evaluates the accessibility of higher-risk apps. If you are using a web or mobile app in your courses and it has not been reviewed, send in the accessibility review form. Your department’s staff can assist you in completing the form.

Faculty Websites

If you maintain a website in your capacity as CSUN faculty and/or for one or more of your courses, read more about Accessibility for Faculty Websites.

Other Document Formats

The ADA specifies the Big Four, but the ADA is not the only applicable law or policy regarding accessibility. Sections 508 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, CSU Executive Order 1111, and more federal and state laws and CSU policies may require that additional document formats be accessible.

If you have questions about a file or format other than the Big Four, make an appointment with the UDC. 

* The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA