Category: Digital Accessibility

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’s 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 Learning, Computing, and Imagination.

She studies how people learn about computing and information and examines questions of identity, community, and power in computing, advocating for equitable, sustainable, and inclusive approaches to technology. She has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications, many of them receiving distinguished and best paper awards, and she has been a leader and advocate for digital accessibility at UW for over a decade.

Could you talk about what the Information School is doing to support digital accessibility at UW in anticipation of the April 2026 deadline and beyond? 

Absolutely. The iSchool uses the acronym IDEAS for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Sovereignty. Accessibility is a core value of the school, shaping our teaching, research, and service. It’s not the case that everyone in the school has the knowledge they need to make digital spaces accessible, but it’s a goal we’re actively striving for. This commitment shows up in multiple ways: it’s written into our stated values, embedded in the curriculum, reflected in faculty hiring, and supported by emerging initiatives, like recent work around neurodiversity.

When the Department of Justice issued its ruling interpreting the existing accessibility law, we felt excited, like we will have some wind in our sails to move forward. We hoped that the updated standard would invigorate digital accessibility efforts for the entire university as well. But along with excitement, there is the pressure of the deadline; we suddenly had only two years to prepare. Fortunately, we already had strong resources in place: a teaching and learning support team with extensive accessibility expertise and faculty with deep knowledge in accessible computing.

What has been your approach to planning for compliance with that ruling? 

We created a list of about 40–50 core activities that we see as essential, not just for compliance, but also for achieving the higher expectations we hold ourselves to. Then we engaged faculty, staff, and students in discussions about accountability: Who is ultimately accountable for each activity? Who is responsible for carrying it out? Who should be consulted or informed?
One example would be making sure every instructor’s Canvas site meets the standards outlined in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. After much discussion, we concluded accountability has to rest with the instructor, because they’re closest to the content. But the actual responsibility can be shared: sometimes it’s the instructor directly, sometimes our teaching and learning team, sometimes central campus resources.

That accountability piece seems challenging. How are you handling situations where someone doesn’t follow through? 

That’s an ongoing conversation. If accessibility is a core value, then accountability has to be built into faculty evaluation. We’re exploring ways to integrate it into annual merit reviews and promotion processes, overseen by our Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.

Of course, that raises further questions: How do we support faculty reviewers who may not have accessibility expertise? One idea is to include data from our teaching and learning team, such as whether an accessibility barrier identified by a student or automated check was addressed as part of the review process. The goal is to make accountability part of the system, not just a temporary fix.

That makes so much sense; integrating accountability into the system but giving faculty the support they need to be successful. 

We’ve had a decade of work building a shared commitment. Other units are only beginning to think about things like image descriptions or why PDFs can be problematic for screen readers.

For us, the conversation has matured to include systemic accountability. When I talk to other units, I try to contextualize the scale of this work. I sometimes say: “When you build a country for three centuries in an inaccessible way, it takes time to pay off that debt.” We can’t expect accessibility to be “fixed” in a year. It’s a long-term cultural shift.

What accessibility practices do you hope to see adopted immediately across UW? 

Let me name two: First, a very practical one: make structure explicit in documents and websites. If text is a header, mark it as a header; don’t just bold it. Screen readers rely on those semantic cues. It’s a simple skill that makes content navigable and helps build habits of organized thinking.

Second, at the administrative level: we need broad recognition that learning about accessibility takes time and resources. If faculty and staff aren’t given time to learn, the work won’t happen. At the iSchool, we’ve set aside a few hours each quarter for professional development focused on accessibility. It’s not much, but six hours a year is a big improvement over zero. Work on the basics, get everybody to level up on those basics, and, you know, grow that capacity over time.

After the deadline in April 2026, what does moving beyond compliance look like to you? 

It means confronting ableism, much of which is unintentional. We can make digital content accessible, but if our course policies exclude students with chronic illnesses, for example, we’re still perpetuating barriers. What ableism sometimes looks like is an instructor saying, “You didn’t follow this process, and therefore you may not participate in class as a result.” Going beyond compliance requires a cultural shift: recognizing how our actions, words, and environments can disable people.

It’s long-term work, but the iSchool is well positioned to lead. We want to commit not only to accessibility in a technical sense, but to building a genuinely inclusive culture.

That’s powerful. Thank you for sharing a vision that is both practical and inspiring. 

Thank you. It’s an exciting long-term project, and I’m glad we’re having these conversations.

Interview by Melissa Albin (UW-IT  Strategic Communications)

Join the Pack: Support Digital Accessibility

• For more information, resources, and support, visit the Digital Accessibility portal.
• If your department has a digital accessibility story to share, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at digitalaccess@uw.edu.