Digital Accessibility Week 2026 has now come to a close, and we’d like to thank everyone who took part.
During the week, colleagues from across the University attended workshops, accessed support sessions, explored practical guidance, and contributed to the Accessibility Challenge. Together, these activities helped improve digital content and learning materials while highlighting how small changes can make a significant difference to the student experience.
Thank You for Getting Involved
A huge thank you to everyone who attended a session, visited a drop-in, explored the guidance resources, or took part in the accessibility challenge.
Accessibility Challenge
One of the highlights of the week was our Accessibility Challenge, which encouraged colleagues to improve the accessibility of documents within Blackboard using Ally guidance and feedback.
We’re delighted to share that 391 accessibility improvements were made during the course of the week.
These improvements represent hundreds of individual changes, from adding heading structures and alternative text to improving document formatting, layout, and readability.
Alongside the 391 accessibility improvements made during the challenge, 205 new accessibility issues were identified, highlighting the ongoing nature of this work. This reinforces an important message: building accessibility into content from the outset is far more effective – and far less time-consuming – than fixing issues later.
The progress made during the week was extremely encouraging, and the commitment shown by colleagues across the University provides a strong foundation for continuing to improve the accessibility of our digital content.
Session Recordings
If you were unable to attend during the week, recordings of several sessions are now available:
- Flexible and Accessible Design: Small Changes, Big Impact – Nisha Atkins and Pete Thornton
- Strengthening Inclusive Digital Design through UDL and SCULPT – Sean Bracken and Helen Wilson
- Getting Your Students Reading: Tools for Tackling Text – Ros Sykes, Kathryn Devine and Alyssa Held
Keeping the Momentum Going
Digital Accessibility Week may have finished, but accessibility remains an important part of creating effective and inclusive learning experiences.
If you would like support with improving the accessibility of learning materials, using Blackboard Ally, or adopting accessible approaches to digital content creation, the TEL team is here to help, tel@worc.ac.uk. Please get in touch.
