The University of Washington is publishing a growing collection of procedures designed to support the Digital Accessibility Policy (APS 9.0) and the Minimum Digital Accessibility Technical Standard. These procedures are the everyday actions that put our new policy into practice in our work.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing a five-part blog series that introduces these procedures and highlights how they help make digital accessibility part of everyday work across the University. Today’s post focuses on two procedures owned by the Civil Rights Compliance Office.
The first, Procedure for Compliance Monitoring and Reporting, establishes a consistent approach for tracking digital accessibility efforts across the University. It outlines roles and responsibilities, including Compliance Partners within UW units. Compliance Partners will communicate requirements to digital content owners and notify them about issues and risks, track and report goals and metrics, and connect colleagues with training and resources.
The second, Procedure for Digital Product Accessibility Reviews, provides a step-by-step process for reviewing web and mobile applications before they are purchased or implemented. The procedure outlines accessibility review requirements and establishes pathways for provisional approval, manual testing, and exception management when needed. By incorporating accessibility early in the acquisition process, UW can better identify and address potential barriers before products are put into use. We also review products that are already in use, and give our suppliers and developers feedback if their products need improvements to digital accessibility standards.
Together, these procedures help UW build practical, sustainable processes that support digital accessibility across the institution.
Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll explore procedures related to Finance, Planning, and Budget.