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Academic Strategy & Affairs

Toolkit March 2026

Message for deans/associate deans

Units that prefer direct to chairs will skip this.

Dear deans and associate deans,

Our seventh digital accessibility toolkit is now available to support your internal communications around ADA accessibility rules. Your unit can use or adapt whichever of these drafts you see fit:

  • Cover letter for chairs/directors
  • Faculty email
  • Newsletter blurb
  • Slide deck (attached)

This toolkit addresses inaccessible PDFs, including options for making them more accessible by:

  • Prioritizing accessible formats when creating and saving course materials
  • Finding accessible versions of assigned readings
  • Accessing support for improving the accessibility of inaccessible PDFs

The full toolkit is below and also available, along with past toolkits, on the ASA website.

Thank you for your continued leadership and support.

Best regards,

Phil Reid

Philip J. Reid
Vice Provost, Academic Strategy and Affairs
Professor of Chemistry
University of Washington
pjreid@uw.edu | 206.685.8583

Message to chairs, directors or other program leaders

Subject: March digital accessibility toolkit – options for inaccessible PDFs

Dear colleagues,

This digital accessibility toolkit provides a draft email, newsletter blurbs, and a slide deck you can use or adapt when communicating with instructors about preparing accessible materials ahead of the April 24th launch of the new ADA rules.

This month’s focus is on:

  1. Prioritizing accessible file formats: Post original files instead of PDFs, since making PDFs fully accessible is time‑consuming and often requires specialized tools.
  2. What to do with inaccessible PDFs: Search for accessible versions of assigned readings through UW Libraries or try the UW’s new PDF remediation tool, Little Forest.

This and past toolkits are available on the ASA website, and step-by-step guidance for faculty can be found on Teaching@UW’s Making Course Materials Accessible page.

New tools and features to point faculty toward this month include:

As always, feel free to adapt these draft materials to fit your unit’s needs. Thank you for your attention to this important work at a busy time.

Best regards,

Phil Reid

Philip J. Reid
Vice Provost, Academic Strategy and Affairs
Professor of Chemistry
University of Washington
pjreid@uw.edu | 206.685.8583

Draft Email to Faculty

Subject: Improve accessibility this quarter: when to use (and avoid) PDFs

Dear Colleagues,

Creating PDFs can feel like an easy default—they are familiar, consistent, and simple to share. But as we work toward more accessible and inclusive course materials, they pose a significant challenge. This month’s focus is on how to choose accessible formats that better support all learners, and how to take advantage of UW Libraries and new remediation tools to replace or improve PDFs.

If you have already followed the guidance on Teaching@UW’s Making course materials accessible page to learn how to create accessible materials from the start, you might be ready to tackle the harder area of making the PDFs in your course more accessible.

For assignments and handouts:

Whenever possible, avoid saving course materials as PDFs—especially slide decks. Making truly accessible PDFs is time‑intensive, requiring specialized skills and subscription‑based software like Adobe Acrobat Pro. And many reasons we originally preferred PDFs, like denying others the ability to edit, no longer hold true.

Instead, share the original format with students (Word, PowerPoint, Google docs, etc.). These tools produce more accessible, mobile‑friendly materials. Accessibility checkers are built into Microsoft tools and the UW now has Grackle, an accessibility checker for Google.

If you must create a PDF, use “Save as” or “Export to PDF.” Saving as a PDF from Word and other file types preserves only some accessibility. DO NOT USE “Print to PDF” which removes accessibility entirely.

For course readings (e.g., journal articles, items from databases, scans):

Check if an accessible version is available through UW Libraries. Find a full text version and post the permalink so students can access the format they prefer.

If no accessible version is available, try UW’s new remediation tool: Little Forest. Little Forest can tag your PDF so screen readers recognize headers and tables. It can also add alt text suggestions for images. While the tool has limitations, it can help.

Upcoming workshops and just-in-time resources

Workshops and office hours:

Just-in-time resources:

Thank you for your continued efforts to make UW’s digital spaces more accessible for all students.

Newsletter Copy – DRAFT

Replacing PDFs with Accessible Alternatives—and What to Do If You Can’t

PDFs are often the default for sharing course materials, but they can present accessibility challenges for students. A few simple choices can make a big difference:

  • Share original files (Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs) whenever possible, which are more accessible, mobile‑friendly. Microsoft Office has built‑in accessibility checkers in Word and Powerpoint, and UW’s new Grackle checker works for Google Suite.
  • When assigning readings, link to UW Library permalinks so students can choose accessible formats.
  • When PDFs are unavoidable:
    • Use Save As PDF or Export to PDF (do not use Print to PDF)
    • Try Little Forest, UW’s new PDF remediation tool, to improve accessibility.

Learn more on Teaching@UW’s Making course materials accessible webpage.

Join an upcoming workshop:

Slide Deck – DRAFT

Access the Google slides & speaker notes UW NetID
FYI: The presenter notes contain useful context and information.