The University of Washington is continuing to build a growing collection of procedures that support the Digital Accessibility Policy (APS 9.0) and the Minimum Digital Accessibility Technical Standard. Together, these procedures help turn UW’s accessibility commitments into practical, day-to-day actions across the University. In this fourth post in our procedures series, we’re highlighting two new procedures that support accessible digital content wherever members of the UW community interact online: websites and social media platforms.
The Procedure for Storing Archived Web Content helps units properly identify and manage archived web content in alignment with federal accessibility requirements. Not all older content is required to meet current accessibility standards, but to qualify as archived, content must meet specific criteria.
It must be retained solely for reference, research, or record-keeping purposes, remain unchanged after archiving, and be clearly identified as archived.
The procedure provides a consistent approach for evaluating archived content and using UW’s Archive Banner so that users can easily distinguish active content from historical material.
The Procedure for Creating and Publishing Accessible Social Media establishes expectations for ensuring that UW-created content shared through social media platforms is accessible to all users. The procedure applies to UW-affiliated social media accounts and emphasizes the use of accessibility best practices, such as providing alternative text for images, adding captions to videos, and maintaining sufficient color contrast. It also strengthens coordination between social media content creators, University Marketing & Communications, Accessible Technology Services, and the Civil Rights Compliance Office by defining responsibilities, providing guidance resources, and encouraging participation in accessibility-focused communities of practice.
These procedures provide guidance for managing digital experiences that extend beyond traditional websites, helping ensure accessibility is considered wherever UW content is published and maintained.