UW is preparing for the new Americans with Disabilities Act digital accessibility rule taking effect April 24, 2026, requiring all digital tools and electronic resources to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Digital accessibility is the practice of making digital materials (including word docs, slideshows, PDFs, videos and photos), emails, and web content accessible for all users to access, understand, and navigate. This affects not only materials made for public viewing, but also materials you make and share internally with coworkers, colleagues and students, as well as materials shared from third party sources (such as journal PDFs, grant RRPs, or YouTube).
The University Digital Accessibility Initiative (UDAI) is coordinating campus-wide efforts, focusing on sustainable infrastructure, culture change, and long‑term compliance. Accessibility compliance is a responsibility for every employee when creating their materials. UW’s Digital Accessibility Hub is a central resource for the latest guidance, training, and tips, including tools to scan your materials for accessibility issues and how to resolve those.
Things that can help you ensure digital accessibility in your materials:
- Check out digital accessibility fundamentals, and ensure all of your newly-created content follows requirements. The Make It Accessible page has helpful tips and resources to accomplish this.
- Prioritize converting existing digital materials that are highly used and high impact to an accessible format.
- Audit/remove outdated content.
Perfection is not expected by April 24; the focus is on good‑faith effort, steady progress, and supporting content creators across campus.
Need more help navigating tools and guidelines? Contact the Center for User Experience.