Making digital course content accessible is both a University requirement and a fundamental part of our commitment to an inclusive learning environment. Ensuring all students can easily access course materials supports full participation, engagement, and opportunities for success.
In some cases, however, meeting the UW Minimum Digital Accessibility Technical Standard may be technically impossible or would fundamentally change the course or students’ ability to meet learning outcomes. When this occurs, an informed process is needed to grant instructors time‑bound, provisional exceptions so the University can track areas of inaccessibility and contact those with exceptions as new tools and techniques become available.
What content may qualify for exceptions?
- Complex visual texts such as blueprints, hieroglyphics, or star charts
- Use of course content for specific learning tasks such as when captioning a video for a listening comprehension activity or adding alt text to a chart students need to interpret would give away the answer
When in doubt, submit an exception request so the University can track complex accessibility issues.
Software or digital learning tools follow a separate review process before using, purchasing, or renewing, resulting in either approval or an exception. Learn more at Digital Product Accessibility Reviews.
Units that use specialized software to create complex course materials (e.g., CAD tools for creating blueprints) should complete both a Digital Product Accessibility Review and a Course Content Exception Request.
Request a Course Content Exception
Fill out this Course Content Exception Form to submit an exception request to continue using course content that does not meet the UW Minimum Digital Accessibility Technical Standard.
While your exception request is under review and you are awaiting a decision, you are free to continue using the content in your course.
*Note: This process is for course content, not digital learning tools and software, which have a separate process: Digital Product Accessibility Reviews.
Need Help?
Contact digitalaccess@uw.edu with questions about the form.
How your request will be handled
- Risk review: Your request will first be reviewed by the ADA Office to determine the level of risk.
- If the risk is low, you may be granted a time-limited exception.
- If the risk level is medium or high, your request will be referred to subject-matter experts for further review.
- Expert Review: UW accessibility subject‑matter experts will first review your request to identify any known solutions. If a solution exists, they will recommend actions to make your content accessible instead of granting an exception.
- Panel Review: If no straightforward solution exists—or if the recommended actions are not feasible for your course—the request will be evaluated by a review panel of UW faculty and staff, who assess pedagogical, technical, risk, and compliance considerations before recommending whether to grant or deny the exception.
- Final decision: The review panel’s recommendation will go to the Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Affairs and, in some cases, the Provost for a final decision.
What to know about exceptions
Approval for an exception means that you are free to use the content, within a clear set of criteria.
What you’ll get
With an exception, the requester will receive:
- Confirmation that the content has provisional approval to be used.
- Criteria for how the content may be used within that approval.
- A date for when the content will need to be reviewed again.
Next steps
- Continue to use the course content.
- ADA Office staff will contact you when your exception is expiring. By that time, there may be new techniques for making your course content accessible. If not, you can resubmit to extend your exception.
Appeals process
If the expert review recommended a solution that you do not believe will work, you are welcome to request further consideration by the review panel. If you were denied an exception after full review by both groups, you may not use the digital content in your course. If circumstances change substantially, you are welcome to resubmit an exception request.