Introduction to Digital Accessibility
William & Mary is committed to ensuring equal access and upholding the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. The university actively works to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessing its educational programs, services, activities and employment opportunities. All university digital content, information and communication technologies (ICT) must be accessible to individuals with disabilities and must comply with applicable state and federal laws, as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Resources & Tools
Use our step-by-step guides for widely used software applications, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat, to improve the accessibility of your digital content. These resources are designed to support faculty, staff and content creators in developing materials that are inclusive, perceivable and usable by individuals with disabilities. You’ll also find a curated list of free tools and best practices to help you engage diverse audiences across academic, administrative and public-facing communications.
Who We Are
At William & Mary, digital accessibility is a shared responsibility across multiple departments committed to creating an inclusive and usable digital environment. Accessibility reflects our core values of inclusion, equity and academic excellence.
Events & Trainings
Strive for 85
The Strive for 85 initiative offers support and resources for instructors to use Blackboard Ally to improve the accessibility of digital course materials, enhance teaching and create inclusive learning experiences.
W&M is currently striving to meet federal digital accessibility standards by April 2026. One important step in this process is ensuring that course content in Blackboard is accessible for students. The university’s goal is to achieve an 85% institutional accessibility score in Blackboard Ally within 2025. Strive for 85 encourages instructors using Blackboard Ultra to work toward an individual Ally score of at least 85% as well.
