Provost Serio recently sent this message to all UW faculty and instructors and a companion message to all UW staff.
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share information about the University of Washington’s efforts to respond to the standard for digital accessibility — in our course content, websites, programs, services and activities.
On April 24, 2024, the Department of Justice published a rule on digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This rule requires the University’s digital content to be accessible starting on April 24, 2026. Of note for instructors, this applies to course content such as videos, images, slide decks, documents, audio files, e-textbooks, course webpages and online tools.
Meeting this standard is not only a legal expectation but also an action consistent with our mission and values. Students with disabilities leave college at much higher rates than their peers. We all have an important role to play in meeting their accessibility needs by removing barriers at all levels. Together, we can ensure that the UW is a welcoming place to work and study — one where people with disabilities can thrive and make meaningful contributions unhindered.
This is, admittedly, a major effort, and you are not in this alone. It will take the combined effort of individual faculty, academic units, central groups that support accessibility and instruction, UW-IT, and others. New resources will be available in the coming months.
ADA Digital Accessibility Initiative will support the transition
To support this work, I have established an ADA Digital Accessibility Initiative whose action teams, composed of staff and faculty, are working now to develop recommendations for new resources, training, policies and tools — work that will be shared broadly as it evolves on the Digital Accessibility website. Faculty are deeply involved in the course content and innovation and research teams, in particular.
This initiative will help the UW:
- Chart the course toward substantial compliance with the revised standards by April 2026.
- Implement sustainable processes and tools to manage digital accessibility effectively.
- Provide training, tools and resources to faculty, staff and students.
Over the next several months, you may be invited to participate in information gathering efforts to inform the recommendations developed by the action teams. If you are interested in contributing, please send a message to digitalaccess@uw.edu.
What you can do now to prepare
While the action teams are in the process of developing tools, support and resources that will be put toward this new rule, there are initial steps we encourage you and your department to take as you prepare to teach upcoming courses:
- Delete or archive digital course content that you no longer use in that course (e.g., old versions of assignments, readings that are no longer required, duplicates). Tidying up your digital course materials now helps to clarify what needs attention.
- View the Ally Course Accessibility Report in Canvas to identify the most common type of accessibility flags in your courses where you can have an immediate impact. If you don’t use Canvas, now is a great time to start. At a minimum, please use the accessibility tools in your current platform (e.g., Microsoft Office).
- Watch for updates about this initiative and take advantage of opportunities to learn more about digital accessibility best practices.
Creating a campus culture of digital accessibility is an opportunity for us to more fully live our values and support the access needs of students with disabilities.
I am deeply grateful for your support and dedication as we undertake this important work. We welcome feedback about this initiative and encourage you to reach out to digitalaccess@uw.edu if you have concerns or ideas.
Thank you for your partnership in this vital initiative. With steady progress, working together, we’ll get there.
Sincerely,
Tricia R. Serio
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor, Biochemistry