Overview
Ensuring all students can access course materials is not only a legal requirement, it is effective teaching.
Addressing accessibility barriers helps learners with disabilities thrive in our classrooms, is helpful for everyone, and supports UW values by fostering a welcoming, inclusive learning environment.
High action items 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Delete outdated digital course materials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. Use the TidyUp tool to help you identify materials in your Canvas site that you no longer use. (If you’d rather go through your files manually, follow these directions to delete files and delete pages).
Shift to web (HTML) versions of assigned readings as much as possible
Rather than assigning a scan or PDF, look for full-text HTML versions of articles. In an advanced search on the UW Library main page, your results should open a menu of filter options on the left that includes an “Available Online” option. This will allow you to more easily identify full-text articles. Look for similar options when using specific databases.
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.
Take advantage of accessibility checkers
Take advantage of accessibility checkers. Many of the programs you use every day have built-in accessibility checkers. These checkers can help you improve the accessibility of your course materials. Explore the accessibility checkers and tools available at UW.
Resources