The US Department of Justice’s update on digital accessibility (part of the Americans with Disabilities Act) requires that digital academic course content be accessible. Meeting this standard is not only a legal expectation but also an action consistent with UW’s mission and values.
Aligned with UW’s Digital Accessibility Initiative, this webpage shares initial actions that instructors can take to begin improving the accessibility of their digital course materials. The guidance on this page intentionally focuses on common types of course materials used across disciplines in hopes of moving as many people as possible toward compliance.
High impact actions to prioritize
- Delete outdated digital course materials. Over time our digital spaces can get cluttered with old versions of assignments, slide decks, or pages that are no longer relevant to a course. Clean your Canvas site by deleting files and deleting pages you no longer use.
- Shift to web (HTML) versions of assigned readings as much as possible. Rather than assigning a scan or PDF of an article, look for HTML versions of articles by refining your library search results with the “Available Online” filter.
- Commit to using Canvas, Panopto, and Zoom. Because they are web-based (HTML), Canvas pages are more accessible, responsive, and adaptable by people with disabilities. Panopto and Zoom both have auto-captioning options, which can dramatically increase the accessibility of videos. If you have a clear need to work with alternative tools, contact UW-IT.
- Take advantage of accessibility checkers. Many of the programs you use every day have built-in accessibility checkers. While not perfect, these checkers can help you improve the accessibility of your course materials. Explore the accessibility checkers in Word, Canvas, and Powerpoint.
- Reach out to UW accessibility offices when dealing with complex accessibility challenges. While the accessible strategies further down this page should be relevant in most cases, experts in UW’s accessibility offices can help instructors navigate trickier challenges that occasionally arise.
Accessible strategies for specific course materials
Want to learn more about digital accessibility?
While this webpage focuses on common use cases that instructors encounter, the scope of the updated Department of Justice rules on digital accessibility goes beyond course materials. For more resources and information about the larger UW ADA Digital Accessibility Initiative, please visit the Digital Accessibility page, which provides pathways to digital accessibility-related training, tools, and support.