Overview
Ally for Web is an automated accessibility scanning tool that evaluates enrolled web domains and applications for alignment with digital accessibility requirements under ADA Title II.
As part of UGA’s efforts to strengthen accessibility across its public digital presence, EITS has made Ally for Web available for eligible web properties that are owned, managed, or officially affiliated with the University of Georgia.
The tool scans HTML-based content on registered domains and provides issue reporting and remediation guidance to designated website managers.
Access to Ally for Web is provided to:
- Digital Accessibility Liaisons (DALs)
- Domain owners and site administrators
- Approved web managers for enrolled domains
Access is assigned based on site ownership and management responsibility and is not automatically available to all faculty, staff, or instructors.
What Ally for Web Is Designed For
Ally for Web scans enrolled web domains and applications, including public-facing websites, CMS-based sites such as WordPress, departmental or unit-managed web properties, and officially affiliated external domains that are enrolled in the program.
The domain must be formally registered and enrolled with EITS in order to be scanned. Ally for Web is a domain-based scanning system and is not designed as a general document-checking tool for standalone instructional materials stored outside enrolled web properties.
Teaching Outside eLC: What to Consider
If you are teaching a face-to-face course, hosting materials outside eLC, using a personal or research website, or distributing content via email or shared drives, the most important question is where the materials are published.
If Materials Are on an Enrolled Web Domain
If course materials live on a web domain that is officially affiliated with UGA and enrolled in Ally for Web, the tool can scan those pages.
In this case:
- The domain must be registered through your DAL
- You must be identified as a domain owner or manager
- Access will be provisioned accordingly
If Materials Are Not on an Enrolled Web Domain
If materials are shared as PDFs via email, posted in a third-party system, hosted on a personal site not affiliated with UGA, or stored in Google Drive or similar cloud platforms, Ally for Web will not scan those materials.
In these situations, accessibility should be addressed during document creation using tools such as:
- Microsoft Accessibility Checker for Office documents
- Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker for PDFs
- Built-in LMS accessibility tools
Additional guidance and training resources are available through the Digital Accessibility Services Hub.
What Ally for Web Does Not Do
Ally for Web is not:
- A universal document checker for all instructional materials
- A replacement for accessible authoring practices
- A substitute for building accessibility into content at the source
- A scanner of cloud storage platforms or external systems that are not formally enrolled
Accessibility must be incorporated into content during creation. Automated scanning tools support ongoing improvement but do not replace accessible workflows.
Project Details
Ally for Web provides:
- Automated scanning of enrolled domains
- Accessibility issue reporting
- Severity indicators
- Remediation guidance
Units should confirm their official web domains and affiliated sites, ensure a designated site administrator or DAL is assigned, review accessibility reports regularly, and prioritize high-impact issues.
Public-facing web content should align with accessibility requirements by April 24, 2026, in accordance with ADA Title II obligations.
Accessibility is an ongoing responsibility. Ally for Web supports sustainable improvement across UGA’s digital ecosystem by helping units identify and reduce barriers over time.