UW's New Digital Accessibility Policy (APS 9.0)
April 9, 2026
The University has approved a new Administrative Policy Statement, APS 9.0 Digital Accessibility. This policy fills an important gap by aligning UW鈥檚 long鈥憇tanding values regarding accessibility with the federal requirements outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Rule and comparable Washington State law. APS 9.0 establishes clear, University鈥憌ide expectations for the accessibility…
Digital Accessibility Liaisons Spring Meeting & GAAD
April 3, 2026
This spring, the UW community has two opportunities to gather to celebrate our community's digital accessibility efforts: the Digital Accessibility Liaisons Community of Practice Spring Meeting and Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Both events will highlight the essential role of shared learning and collaboration in advancing digital accessibility. Members of the UW community are invited…
March Updates to UW Supervisors
March 16, 2026
As the 天美影视传媒 prepares for the ADA Title II digital accessibility deadline on April 24, 2026, the Digital Accessibility Initiative (DAI) team continues to share practical guidance to help units create inclusive, compliant digital experiences. In our March update, supervisors were encouraged to help their teams prioritize key accessibility efforts and take advantage…
Grackle for Google Apps Now Available for UW
March 10, 2026
Grackle is now available at no cost to all UW students, faculty, and staff. Grackle is a suite of accessibility checker add-ons for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides that makes it easier to create content that is usable for everyone. Grackle works directly inside Google Workspace, automatically scanning documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for accessibility issues.…
February Updates for UW Supervisors
February 25, 2026
As part of the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 ongoing Digital Accessibility Initiative, we recently shared important聽February updates聽in an聽email聽to聽all UW supervisors聽to help units prepare for the upcoming聽ADA Title II compliance deadline聽on聽April 24, 2026. This month鈥檚 guidance highlights several priority areas that will support more accessible聽and inclusive聽digital experiences across the UW: Digital Product Accessibility Reviews:聽Supervisors are encouraged to…
Keyboard Accessibility: An Essential Part of Inclusive Design
February 18, 2026
When we talk about digital accessibility, topics like color contrast, meaningful link text, and alt text often come to mind. But an equally critical, yet sometimes overlooked, piece is ensuring that websites and applications are fully usable without a mouse. Many people rely on keyboard navigation due to mobility disabilities, while others simply prefer it…
Connecting With UW Supervisors To Prepare for April 24 and Beyond
January 30, 2026
On January 20, 2026, the UW Digital Accessibility Initiative team shared an update with all UW supervisors outlining the April 24, 2026 deadline for digital accessibility requirements and the tools, training, and events available to support this work. This post provides a summary of that message for the UW community; the message is also available…
Happy (More Accessible) New Year
January 23, 2026
As we move toward the April 24, 2026 ADA Title II deadline, digital accessibility will be a shared focus for the University community. Meaningful progress depends on embedding accessibility into everyday workflows for creating, publishing, and sharing digital content. Together, we can ensure accessibility is not an add-on but is a standard feature of the…
New Video:聽Building Digital Accessibility Together聽
January 22, 2026
As UW prepares to meet updated ADA Title II digital accessibility standards by April 26, 2026, the work ahead is both a responsibility and an opportunity to strengthen our commitment to equity and inclusion. While the deadline is an important milestone, the broader goal is ongoing: creating digital spaces where everyone at the University of…
Join us for the Digital Accessibility Liaisons Winter Meeting
December 30, 2025
Members of the UW community are invited to the Digital Accessibility Liaisons Community of Practice (CoP) quarterly meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 10:00-11:30 am. This online gathering is open to anyone interested in advancing digital accessibility at the 天美影视传媒. As we work towards聽the聽April 2026 deadline and beyond, community participation across our units, departments,…
Connecting聽with聽UW Leadership聽on聽Digital Accessibility聽
December 22, 2025
The co-sponsors of the Digital Accessibility Initiative reached out to 天美影视传媒 leaders on December 8 to share a message about the role we all play in supporting digital accessibility across the UW. UW leaders were encouraged to help their teams build accessibility into everyday work flows by taking advantage of training opportunities, following…
Web Accessibility Series: Why Properly Marking Up Lists Matters
December 12, 2025
One of the simplest鈥攁nd most frequently overlooked鈥攚ays to improve web accessibility is to correctly format groups of related objects, or lists. Whether you鈥檙e creating a web page, a Canvas module, or a digital document, if the content represents a collection of related items, it should be built using the list tools provided in your editor.…
A Digital Accessibility Conversation with the UW School of Public Health聽
December 8, 2025
Even before new federal accessibility standards took shape under the 2024 Department of Justice Title II ruling, the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 School of Public Health was already working to build a culture of digital inclusion. Through collaboration across IT, faculty leadership, and student support, the school has been quietly modeling what it means to make…
Why Alt Text Matters for Web Accessibility
December 4, 2025
For people who can鈥檛 see images鈥攕uch as those relying on audible screen readers鈥攁lternative text, or alt text, is essential. Alt text provides a brief, meaningful description that communicates the purpose of an image. When a screen reader encounters an image, it typically announces 鈥渋mage鈥� and then reads the alt text aloud, making visual content accessible…
Creating Meaningful Links and Buttons on Websites聽
November 20, 2025
At the 天美影视传媒, we鈥檙e committed to designing digital experiences that work for everyone. A key part of that commitment is ensuring that links and buttons鈥攖wo of the most common interactive elements on the web鈥攁re used correctly and convey meaning clearly. Although they might look similar, links and buttons serve distinct purposes. Links move…
Understanding ARIA Hidden Elements and Accessibility Barriers聽
November 13, 2025
If聽you鈥檝e聽ever run an聽accessibility audit聽and seen an error like:聽鈥ㄢ�淎RIA hidden聽element聽must not be focusable or聽contain聽focusable elements,鈥澛犫�▂ou鈥檙e seeing one of the most common鈥攁nd confusing鈥攄igital accessibility issues. What ARIA Does ARIA, or Accessible Rich Internet Applications, is a set of HTML attributes that help assistive technologies (like screen readers) interpret complex or custom user interfaces. One of these attributes,…
Color Contrast: Why It Matters for Web Accessibility
November 6, 2025
This post kicks off an ongoing series on digital accessibility barriers in websites and how to fix them. Each week, we鈥檒l explore a common issue that can make a website harder to use for people with disabilities and share practical ways to create more inclusive digital experiences. Color can be a powerful element of design.…
Digital Accessibility Quick Cards for Microsoft Office
October 29, 2025
Accessible documents, spreadsheets, slides, and emails are essential to creating inclusive digital spaces at the 天美影视传媒. To make this easier, UW鈥檚 Accessible Technology team has developed聽Digital Accessibility Quick Cards聽for Microsoft Office applications: Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Each card鈥攁vailable both as a web page and an accessible, printable PDF鈥攐ffers concise, practical guidance for…
Building Accessible Learning: Continuum College鈥檚 Road to 2026
October 23, 2025
As one of the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 highest-volume instructional units,聽Continuum College sits at the intersection of digital learning, faculty support, and student experience. With nearly 300 active courses serving a wide range of learners, accessibility at Continuum College is not just a compliance requirement鈥攊t鈥檚 a cornerstone of equity, quality, and sustainability. In preparation for the…
Digital Accessibility Training Options and Calendar
October 10, 2025
Building on the digital accessibility training opportunities we highlighted this summer, UW has launched a new Digital Accessibility Calendar to make it easier to find events across all campuses that support inclusive digital experiences. The calendar, available on the Accessible Technology website,聽lists opportunities from across UW campuses, including webinars, meetups, and hands-on sessions led by…
Digital Accessibility Liaisons Fall Meeting 鈥� Oct. 22
October 7, 2025
The Digital Accessibility Liaisons Community of Practice (CoP) invites you to our fall meeting, which is open to anyone interested in advancing digital accessibility at UW. Interested in becoming a Digital Accessibility Liaison? Visit the Digital Accessibility Liaisons webpage. First established in 2017, and relaunching this month, the Digital Accessibility Liaisons CoP is a great…
The iSchool's IDEAS and Approach to April 2026 and Beyond
September 12, 2025
We sat down with Amy J. Ko to discuss accessibility efforts within the Information School. Dr. Ko is Professor and Associate Dean for Academics at UW鈥檚 Information School; Adjunct Professor in Computer Science & Engineering; faculty in the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE); and co-director of the Center for…
Think Before You Create a PDF
August 7, 2025
At first glance, creating PDFs might seem like a convenient way to share information, they鈥檙e easy to attach, consistent in appearance, and familiar to most users. But in the digital age, especially at a university committed to accessibility and inclusion, it鈥檚 time to rethink when and how we use them. Why You Shouldn鈥檛 Default to…
Join Digital Accessibility Liaisons: Be a Catalyst for Inclusion at UW
July 29, 2025
For more than a decade, the Digital Accessibility Liaisons group has brought together staff and faculty from across the tri-campus system to advance digital inclusion at the 天美影视传媒. This Community of Practice (CoP) brings together individuals from academic, administrative, and clinical units to build awareness, learn and apply new skills, and champion the…
UWIT Accelerates Digital Accessibility Efforts聽
July 23, 2025
Making digital content more accessible may feel overwhelming鈥攅specially when you're balancing other priorities. If you're unsure where to begin, you're not alone. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e launching a new blog series highlighting how UW departments and units are approaching the Digital Accessibility Initiative and helping ensure equal access for everyone in the UW community. First Up:…
Training Options to Build Your Accessibility Skills
July 8, 2025
Training Options by Audience Don't Know Where to Start? Digital Accessibility Training Options Accessible digital content helps ensure that everyone鈥攊ncluding students, faculty, patients, staff, and visitors鈥攃an fully participate in our digital spaces. Whether you鈥檙e just starting to explore digital accessibility or looking to enhance your existing skills, there are practical, flexible ways to learn as…
Countdown to April 2026: 310 Days to Go!
June 18, 2025
We鈥檙e counting up to an accessible UW In just 310 days鈥攂y April 24, 2026鈥攖he University鈥檚 digital content must comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards for digital accessibility. This includes websites, online courses, documents, videos, and mobile applications. Meeting this requirement is more than legal compliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II鈥攊t's a…
New Procurement Standards: What You Need to Know聽
June 4, 2025
In support of the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 commitment to accessibility and inclusion, we want to inform you of the University's outreach to technology vendors, suppliers, and contractors regarding digital accessibility requirements and our institutional compliance plans. Recent regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services require that…
Digital Accessibility Benefits Everyone
May 22, 2025
At the 天美影视传媒, we are committed to fostering an inclusive digital environment that serves our entire community. Making sure we meet the most recent requirements for digital accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in our community. These updates also improve…
University Libraries: Support for Accessible Design
May 14, 2025
In a recent conversation with University Libraries staff, we learned from Perry Yee and Elliott Stevens how their team is helping the UW community build a culture of digital accessibility and Universal Design through collaboration and practical training. 鈥� 鈥═he Accessibility Working Group (AWG) was founded in 2017 and has expanded in the years to…
Tim Knight: A Lifelong Journey in Accessibility
May 13, 2025
In anticipation of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we interviewed Tim Knight, retiring web developer at the 天美影视传媒 School of Public Health and this year's recipient of the UW 2025 Accessibility Spotlight Award for his longtime commitment to digital accessibility. In this wide-ranging conversation, Tim shared how a passion for science, teaching, and…
Spotlight on Faculty: Jennifer Mankoff
May 12, 2025
In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 15, we sat down with Dr. Jennifer Mankoff, a professor in the Information School and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the 天美影视传媒, to discuss the intersection of computing, accessibility, and disability studies. She shared personal reflections, insights…
Celebrating Accessibility: AccessUW Podcast GAAD Episodes
May 9, 2025
In observance of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the 天美影视传媒鈥檚 Office of the ADA Coordinator has published two AccessUW podcast episodes focusing on practical strategies and resources for creating a more digitally inclusive campus. Whether you're a web developer, content creator, or instructor, these conversations provide invaluable insights on making digital environments and…
Supporting Digital Accessibility at UW with DubBot
May 6, 2025
At the 天美影视传媒, ensuring our digital content is accessible to all is a shared responsibility and a legal obligation under the recent ADA Title II rule requiring compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards by April 2026. To meet this challenge, UW has adopted DubBot, an automated web accessibility checker,…
Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 15
April 11, 2025
Join the Pack, Learn New Skills, Be Inspired Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated annually on the third Thursday in May to highlight the importance of digital accessibility and its impact on over one billion people worldwide with disabilities. Since its launch in 2012, GAAD has encouraged communities to build more inclusive digital spaces鈥攁nd…
Spotlight on faculty: Amy J. Ko
April 9, 2025
To kick off a new series spotlighting digital accessibility experts and champions at the 天美影视传媒, we spoke with Amy J. Ko, a professor at UW's Information School, adjunct professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, and a member of the Digital Accessibility Initiative's Innovation & Research Action Team.…
DOJ Digital Accessibility Rule: What Faculty & Staff Need to Know聽
March 10, 2025
With the Department of Justice鈥檚 ADA Digital Accessibility Rule set to take effect in April 2026, it鈥檚 crucial for UW faculty and staff to stay informed and proactive. This blog will provide ongoing guidance and provide resources to support compliance with state policy and federal regulations. Although questions related to federal oversight聽of the rule have…
UW Advances Digital Accessibility
March 6, 2025
Advancing Digital Accessibility with New Tools and Training The 天美影视传媒 is taking significant steps toward a more inclusive digital future, calling on faculty, staff, and administrators to prioritize accessibility in their digital spaces. With new federal regulations impacting web and course content, UW is taking proactive steps to ensure compliance and foster a…
Starting an Accessibility Journey: 5 Easy Tips
February 27, 2025
Learning and applying accessibility skills to your digital content doesn鈥檛 have to be overwhelming! In a February 24th presentation, Instruction Accessibility Specialist Mary-Colleen Jenkins shared five simple yet powerful tips to make course materials more inclusive. From using structured headings to ensuring proper color contrast, these small changes can significantly improve accessibility for all users.…
Digital Accessibility Meet-Ups
February 21, 2025
Web Accessibility and Usability Instructional Accessibility Join UW鈥檚 Monthly Accessibility Meetups: Web Usability & Instructional Accessibility Accessibility is a key part of creating inclusive digital experiences, whether you're designing websites or developing accessible courses. To support these efforts, UW-IT's Accessible Technology Services hosts two monthly meetups: one focused on Web Accessibility and Usability and another…