7 Tips for Remediating Content Ahead of the April 2026 Accessibility Deadline
As institutions prepare for the April 2026 accessibility deadline, many faculty and staff are grappling with how to efficiently remediate course content. In a recent webinar, “Navigating the 2026 Accessibility Requirements: Higher Ed Strategies and Approaches”, accessibility experts shared practical strategies for tackling this complex task.
This post distills seven actionable tips—from prioritizing high-enrollment courses to leveraging accessibility checkers and working collaboratively—that can help faculty and institutions make meaningful progress without getting overwhelmed.
1. Start with Your High-Enrollment and Foundational Courses
“When I speak to schools and departments and they’re looking like deerscaught in headlights the first thing I say is, “What are your high enrolment classes? And first 100 and 200 level classes? When we look at that, statistically most of the time it’s four classes. Four classes represent 50% of their enrollment. And so, telling them, ‘Focus on those four courses, get those up first.”
Michael Mace,
IT Manager – Digital Accessibility, Indiana University
Practical action
Begin with the courses that serve the most students. Improving accessibility in just a handful of 100/200-level or high-enrollment courses can reach half of your learners. Identify the top 4–6 enrollment courses and remediate those materials first to quickly maximize institutional impact.
2. Audit the Essentials First — Don’t Get Lost in Edge Cases
“Instructors will come to me with, ‘Here’s this really miniscule thing that I do…’ And my response is, ‘Is your syllabus done?’”
Michael Mace,
IT Manager – Digital Accessibility, Indiana University
Practical action
Focus first on the materials every student must interact with — syllabus, weekly modules, core readings, etc. Avoid getting stuck on rare, niche, or unusual teaching practices until foundational documents are accessible. This will help ensure that the most important materials are addressed early.
3. Remove Unused or Outdated Content
“We start with the content that’s actually used and get rid of anything that isn’t. That way, we don’t waste time remediating content that no one’s even looking at.”
Angela Hughes
Accessible Technology Analyst, Pima Community College
Practical action
Eliminate outdated or unused content so you don’t spend time remediating materials that aren’t needed.. This reduces workload dramatically and allows you to focus remediation attention on what truly matters.
4. Fix Source Documents First (Not Just the PDFs)
“We all have 100 PDFs, but where’s the original document? And why don’t you work on that original document and fix it?”
Carla Ghanem
Instructional Designer, Maricopa Community Colleges
Practical action
Track down the original file and repair accessibility there before exporting to PDF. Fixing the source can help remove the need for repeated remediation. This saves significant time and ensures long-term accessibility improvements.
5. Use Accessibility Checkers to Surface the Biggest Problems Early
“An accessibility checker is really key here. You need one. If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know where you’re going.”
Michael Mace,
IT Manager – Digital Accessibility, Indiana University
Practical action
Run automated scans using tools like YuJa Panorama, TidyUP, or the Pressbooks accessibility checker. These tools instantly reveal widespread, high-impact issues—like missing alt text or untagged PDFs—so you can focus on the fixes that will meaningfully improve compliance and student experience.
Learn more about the Pressbooks Accessibility Authoring Tool
6. Work in Community — Co-Working Can Help People Make Progress
“We spent like an hour every two weeks just in a room… I learned so much more about accessibility just doing that… in community with someone else.”
Lauren Ray
Open Education Librarian, University of Washington
Practical action
Host co-working sessions, remediation sprints, or accessibility office hours. Faculty often feel overwhelmed; working together reduces anxiety and accelerates learning. Collaborative time allows instructors to troubleshoot issues, ask questions, and build skills while making real progress.
7. Emphasize Progress Over Perfection
“Progress will be iterative and ongoing. And this work will not be perfect…”
Lauren Ray
Open Education Librarian, University of Washington
Practical action
Plan a phased approach rather than aiming for perfection. Set semester-by-semester goals (triage → remediate → refine) and communicate that accessibility is continuous improvement, not a one-time achievement. This can help faculty move forward without feeling paralyzed by the scale of the task.
Watch the full webinar below
Featured Photo by Daniel Ali on Unsplash