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In this Issue:

• Digital Accessibility Compliance Updates
• Digital Accessibility Events & Resources
• Announcing Climate & Belonging Student Leadership Award Recipients
• Nominations Open for Chancellor Principles of Community Awards 
• Facilities Notification: MB 3rd St Parking Garage Stairwell Repair and Replacement
• Connect with Us!

Digital Accessibility Compliance Updates

UCSF is committed to ensuring that its services, programs, and activities accessible to people with disabilities enabling full, equal, and independent participation.

Federal laws, including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, require digital content to be accessible to people with disabilities. Regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Justice establish WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard for meeting these requirements for web content and mobile apps.

The Department of Justice has extended the ADA Title II compliance deadline from April 24, 2026 to April 26, 2027 and the Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Section 504 deadline from May 11, 2026 to May 11, 2027.

However, UCSF’s obligation to ensure that people with disabilities can access our digital content remains in effect. Therefore, UCSF will continue to comply with the April 24, 2026 compliance deadline pursuant to the UC Information Technology Accessibility Policy (UC IMT-1300).

📌 Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Accessibility Across UC 

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026, 10:00 to 11:30 AM

Register: UC GAAD 2026 Webinar 

Join colleagues from across the University of California for our Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event, From Policy to Practice: Strengthening Accessibility Across UC. You’ll hear how accessibility is being operationalized across campuses and build skills that support inclusive digital experiences.

We have some speakers from UCSF IT: Jessica Hilt, Jayson Jaynes, and Daniel Tjandra. Join us as we work together to ensure our digital environments are accessible to all. Details on the UC Tech News site.

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📌 UCSF Weekly Sessions on Digital Accessibility

These sessions support UCSF staff in monitoring and strengthening accessibility across digital content for our users.

• PDF Office Hours, every Monday, 10:00 to 11:00 AM
• Office Hours, every Tuesday, 2:00 to 3:00 PM, and every Thursday, 9:00 to 10:00 AM

Accessibility: UCSF welcomes all participants to our events. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event because of a disability, please contact Jill.Wolters@ucsf.edu or calling 415-514-2941 as soon as possible.

The Climate & Belonging Student Leadership Awards recognize graduating students for their leadership and commitment to the UCSF PRIDE values and Principles of Community throughout their academic journeys. The awards are sponsored by the Office of Opportunity & Outreach Climate & Belonging.

Disability Resource Center Award 

Michael Christopher Ascalon Chichioco is a fourth-year medical student at UCSF who advocates for patients and trainees with disabilities and chronic illness, informed by his experience with Tourette syndrome. He co-facilitated the Disability and Chronic Illness Support Group, served as President of the Disability Advocacy and Support Alliance (DASA), and contributed to the School of Medicine’s Disability Working Group.

In partnership with Student Disability Services, he organized programming on navigating accommodations across exams, clinical training, and residency applications. He also advanced disability representation through the Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative and developed a second-year curriculum, “Principles of Caring for Patients with Disabilities and Disabled Patients.”

Michael will continue at Stanford Medical Center with an internal medicine internship followed by anesthesiology residency, where he plans to continue his advocacy.

Multicultural Resource Center Award 

Ziad Mohamoud Jowhar is from Atlanta, GA and is an eighth-year MD/PhD student at UCSF. He completed his PhD in Dr. Stephen Floor's lab, where his dissertation uncovered a ubiquitous GC content signature underlying multimodal mRNA regulation by DDX3X.

Ziad is now graduating with his MD and will continue his training as an Otolaryngologist–Head and Neck Surgeon at the University of Michigan. He is deeply invested in mentorship, caring for underserved patients, and advancing diversity and inclusion in medical education. 

LGBTQ Resource Center Award 

Olivia Anne Palma Shearin is a graduating student from the UCSF School of Dentistry with a passion for ensuring her LGBTQ+ patients get access to the care they need.

Throughout her time at the School of Dentistry, Dr. Palma Shearin has tirelessly advocated for her LGBTQ+ patients and colleagues to better their support. Her dedication to fostering a more inclusive and ethical future in healthcare continues to guide her academic and professional journey. 

Outside of the dental field, she enjoys reading, retro-inspired fashion, and exploring San Francisco's café scene with her wife.