MIDAS

ALERT: Deadline for Course Content Accessibility is April 24, 2026

All digital course materials must be fully accessible to all students by April 24, 2026, to comply with Title II of the ADA. The mandate includes all course materials in Canvas to ensure that every student has equitable access to learning as well as to avoid potential legal consequences. Visit Accessible Learning for details and available support resources.

About MIDAS

MIDAS ("Making Instructional Documents Accessible for Students") is a Cal Poly remediation service that was reestablished in Spring 2025. Managed by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), in collaboration with the Disability Resource Center (DRC), MIDAS supports faculty in making their PDF formatted course materials accessible.

During Fall 2025, MIDAS is prioritizing the remediation of PDFs for Spring 2026 courses that have students with approved DRC accommodations, with a focus on high-enrollment General Education (GE) courses.

What We Do

MIDAS works with faculty to improve course accessibility by remediating documents (PDFs) so that they are accessible to students who use screen readers and so the materials are compliant with accessibility standards. These practices align with the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) and federal accessibility laws (Section 508 and the ADA) and support faculty to meet their legal and ethical responsibilities.

Document Remediation

Document remediation for ADA Title II is the process of making digital documents accessible to people with disabilities by converting or reconstructing them to meet accessibility standards, such as those outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level A and AA. This involves:

Adding proper text structure and correct reading order
Making text selectable
Adjusting contrast for visibility
Providing alternative text for images
Applying proper tagging for screen reader navigation and compatibility

These standards ensure equal access to digital content and online services for students with disabilities and specifically for those using screen readers.

Remediating Your Course Materials:

While MIDAS provides vital remediation support, faculty are responsible for ensuring their course materials are accessible from the start. This includes following best practices for documents, slides, images, and videos to create a more inclusive learning experience for all students.

If you have PDF course materials, and you do not have access to the original editable file, we recommend converting PDFs to Canvas Pages [video tutorial] using the Access4All tool. Then, use Canvas’s built-in accessibility checker to make necessary fixes—such as adding headings, alt text, and proper contrast.
We also recognize that some PDFs may not be your own. If they are library resources, please consult your college librarian to help locate or request an accessible version.
Please refer to the relevant resources on our Accessible Learning Resource Hub for additional support.

Our Priorities

As of Fall 2025, the MIDAS team is collaborating with the Disability Resource Center to first support students with accommodations, then focus on remediating PDFs in high-enrollment GE courses for Spring 2026.

MIDAS and Cal Poly priorities:

1st priority is Spring 2026 courses for registered DRC students with accommodations. The DRC reported that in Spring 2025, 277 students were enrolled in 905 unique courses.
2nd priority is high-enrollment GE courses that will be offered in Spring 2026.
3rd priority is all other courses that will be offered in Spring 2026

MIDAS staff is conducting individualized outreach to instructors who teach the prioritized courses to offer remediation services.

Midas Remediation Impact

*last updated: 11/04/2025

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Our Student Team

	Lead: Smaya Guido 3rd Year - COMPUTER ENGINEERING, minor in political science "One of the most important things you can do in life is try to make an inaccessible world accessible to as many people as possible. That’s why I love what we do with the MIDAS team."
	Amber Chow 4th Year - Economics "I believe accessible, meaningful education is the primary marker of a well-developed society. Without it, society crumbles."
	Joel George 2nd Year - Electrical Engineering "Working for MIDAS has given me the opportunity to support my fellow mustangs and encourage accessibility at our university, which I find fulfilling."
	Emre Yenigun 2nd Year - computer engineering "I’m interested in this work because I think everyone should be able to access information easily, no matter their situation."
	Yesenia Magallanes 5th Year - Mechanical Engineering Canvas Support "I believe this job is important because every student on this campus deserves equal access to the course content. MIDAS ensures that every student, no matter their circumstances, can access all content and can continue their learning."
	Koen Graue 4th Year - Mechanical Engineering Canvas Support "I think everyone should have an opportunity to learn. Making canvas resources easily accessible to all is extremely important to me as well as rewarding."
	Alex Zes 4th Year - Civil Engineering Canvas Support "Remediated PDFs are easy to search, navigate, and read for those with disabilities. Doing this work allows for those with disabilities to have equal ability to learn and use documents. It makes me feel good to know that our work is getting put to good use, and allows for everyone to be able to have equal ability to learn."