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Digital Accessibility
The new UW-Madison digital accessibility policy takes effect on July 1, 2023. Because we are all content creators to some degree, the policy affects us all.
Digital accessibility refers to the ability of someone with a disability to use websites, documents, multimedia, applications, and other types of digital content independently, with substantially equivalent ease of use as someone without a disability. It ensures equal opportunity of access to information.
Why should you care about digital accessibility?
- It's the right thing to do
- It's an important component of our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts
- It's our policy
- All users benefit
The policy will be implemented through a phased approach over several years. The first phase, from July 2023 to July 2024, focuses on documents.
The policy relies on shared responsibility. As a large, decentralized institution, it's up to all of us to follow good digital accessibility practices.
Phase 1: Documents
Examples of document types include:
- PDFs
- Word documents
- Google Docs
- PowerPoints
- InDesign files
If you create a document, it is your responsibility to strive for conformance with the digital accessibility policy.
Digital Accessibility Liaison
Eric Klister (eklister@wisc.edu), web operations manager, is the Nelson Institute's digital accessibility liaison. Liaisons serve as the primary contact for understanding how to follow the policy and work with the Center for User Experience to develop a proactive approach to accessibility and rectify any reported barriers.
Liaisons can provide guidance on accessibility concerns and help you follow best practices. They do not act as compliance officers and are not responsible for legal oversight.
Campus Digital Accessibility Resources
- UW-Madison digital accessibility policy
- UW-Madison digital accessibility program
- Accessibility at UW-Madison
- Make it Accessible