Western Shows Support for Accessible Learning

February 27, 2026

Just as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 led to replacing curbs with ramps so everyone could access buildings, public institutions like Western Washington University are now creating similar “ramps” to make digital spaces accessible to all. As of April 24, 2026, new accessibility rules apply to online digital spaces, including websites and online course materials. While this is a large undertaking for faculty and support personnel, ensuring that all students have equitable access to course content aligns with the University’s commitments for inclusive achievement and respect for the rights and dignity of others. Western’s faculty care deeply about student learning and show this in their dedication to excellence in teaching. University personnel are now connecting these aspirations with support, training, and tools for making digital content accessible for everyone.

Department of Justice Ruling

As a backdrop for this work, in August 2024, the DOJ created a Final Rule on Web Accessibility saying that all government agencies must provide digital materials that meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level. The WCAG provides guidance that ensures accessibility in all forms of content. The AA conformance level, the most common for regulations, ensures that content works well for most users, including those using assistive technologies.

Impact at Western

When it becomes effective on April 24, 2026, all WWU employees who create or manage digital content (e, g., web or mobile content, Canvas content, documents such as PDFs, media, etc.) will need to meet these guidelines. Fortunately, web professionals at Western have been focused on making digital content accessible for many years, so much of the public-facing WWU web content conforms to the WCAG specifications. As for content within the WWU learning management system, Canvas, the work involved can be immense. Instructure’s strong Canvas Accessibility Standards allow for accessible content and features; however, most courses include internal content and link to outside content, documents, and videos that require proper formatting.

Faculty Support & Best Practices

As faculty modify materials and create accessible course content in light of the ruling, WWU support staff has been working hard beside them, building a collection of resources and methods to aid in this effort.

Outreach and Professional Development

Staff in the Center for Instructional Innovation (CII) in Academic Technology & User Services (ATUS) started building support materials for this effort not long after it was announced in 2024. In the winter of last year, their communications to faculty included introductory documentation and videos. In spring and fall, more tools were announced, and during this academic year, the staff have provided college presentations, professional development opportunities, workshops, open lab sessions, and consultations.

Pope Tech Accessibility Tools

To help faculty make progress toward compliance, Western adopted Pope Tech’s Canvas Accessibility Dashboard Tool and, as of Fall of 2025, placed it into the navigation of every Canvas course. This tool enables instructors to scan and evaluate their course content, identify accessibility errors and alerts, and make some of the necessary updates using the Guide tool right on each page.

Support

Since there are around 800 faculty at Western and a small but strong crew of staff involved in this effort, part of the support focus has been on creating customized materials as references for faculty.

While accessible course content aligns with university policies and ADA accessibility requirements, faculty at Western have always wanted the best learning experience for their students.

Many other areas at Western are involved in this effort. See the additional supports listed on the above pages. For additional help with accessibility in Canvas, please contact: CanvasHelp@wwu.edu