As I continue to coach my new colleague, Caroline Larsen, on the intimate details of our scripting and processing of course materials, I have a unique opportunity to reflect on my time as an Accessibility Professional at Swarthmore.

Mentoring someone forces you to examine the why behind the how. What I’ve realized through this process is that accessibility work isn’t just a checklist of technical fixes—it is a bridge between pedagogy, technology, and human empathy.

Translating empathy into practice starts with our daily habits. Looking back, the core of this work boils down to three things: cleaning up our digital mechanics, designing flexible learning environments, and leaning into our collaborative spirit that drives Swarthmore forward. The most immediate place to put this into practice is in our digital classrooms.

Order in the Digital Classroom: Why Filenames are an Equity Issue

Let’s talk about a common issue: Moodle site chaos.

Across campus, duplicate files are quietly taking up unnecessary space—on Swarthmore’s Moodle servers, in Google Drives, on personal hard drives, and on Moodle course pages. We know they are duplicates because Moodle assigns every file a unique ID (a contenthash). In other cases, duplicates happen when an entire book volume is uploaded alongside individual chapter PDFs from that same volume.

Why is this a problem?

Digital clutter is becoming a major boundary for digital sustainability and site usability. Specifically, it impacts three key areas:

• Load and response times: With over 400 courses on Moodle each semester and a seven-year retention cycle, servers must search deeper and longer every time a file is duplicated rather than referenced cleanly. That translates directly to longer load screens for everyone.
• Cognitive load & version control: How is a student supposed to track which file is the “true” reading? When multiple versions of a document exist on a page, navigation becomes confusing. It forces students—and faculty—to waste mental energy parsing through version control.
• Environmental sustainability: While digital storage feels cheap, multiplying your individual storage footprint across 2,500 community members adds up. It calls to mind Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai’s parable of the hummingbird carrying drops of water to fight a forest fire: small actions collectively make a massive difference.

Practical solutions & storage workflows

• Adopt intentional naming conventions: Give your future self—and your future students—clarity about which file is the definitive version.
• Practice “syllabus synchronization”: Refer to the file the exact same way on your syllabus as you do on Moodle. If a reading is assigned for “Week 4” on the syllabus, place it in “Week 4” on Moodle using matching language or standard academic citation formats. Mismatched names create unnecessary panic, increase cognitive load, and contribute to additional accessibility barriers.
• Streamline storage & archiving: Keep course files in a single, dedicated location (either locally on your computer or on Google Drive). At the end of the semester, archive unreferenced readings into a separate Archive folder rather than leaving them active in the course shell.

Example workflow

• Active files live in Documents > POLS001.
  For instance, Files POLS001_Smith_Lorem.pdf, POLS001_Jones_Ipsum.pdf, POLS001_Patel_Dolor.pdf are in a folder on my computer titled POLS001 in my Documents folder (Documents>POLS001).
• At the end of the term, you decide to drop a reading by Jones.
• You rename the file 2026_POLS001_Jones_Ipsum.pdf and move it to Archive > 2026_POLS001.
• The next time you teach the course, you only upload materials directly from Documents > POLS001.

Do you already use a workflow like this? I’d love to hear about it—I’m always looking to collaborate on organizational strategies that fit your style.

How digital organization directly impacts accessibility

Eliminating redundant tickets

To give you a brief look behind the scenes: we use a custom script that pulls files from Moodle courses with students with registered e-material accommodations in them directly into our support ticketing system. This automated process saves us from manually digging through 100+ course sites.

However, when duplicate or triplicate files are uploaded to a course—and every copy is inaccessible—our system generates multiple tickets for the exact same document. When our team reviews approximately 2,000 files a semester, those extra clicks add up fast.

Eliminating duplicates frees up crucial staff time. That saved bandwidth allows us to:

• Script faster, low-friction uploads to Moodle.
• Automate complex processing steps.
• Focus on direct faculty collaboration and course improvements.

Last-minute rush

We know summer is a crucial, packed season for faculty and instructional staff focused on research, fieldwork, writing, and much-needed personal time. Preparing Moodle courses naturally gets pushed to the end of August.

However, when nearly 1,800 files hit our system during the final days before classes start, our Accessibility Team faces a severe time crunch. Beyond the sheer volume, if filenames don’t map clearly to syllabus titles, we spend precious hours hunting down when and where readings occur rather than converting them into accessible formats.

The real impact falls on our students who rely on e-materials. When uploads happen at the eleventh hour, our Accessibility Team may not have enough time to remediate every document before the first week of class or before a specific reading is due. This leaves students with accommodations at a distinct disadvantage right out of the gate.

You don’t need to spend your entire summer thinking about fall courses! Clear file organization and syllabus alignment go a long way toward helping us process this volume efficiently. If you’re able to organize or upload even your first few weeks of readings before diving into your summer plans, it gives the Accessibility Team the head start needed to have accessible materials ready for your students on Day 1.

Accidental Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Many faculty members are already practicing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles without realizing it. Here are three high-impact strategies I frequently see on Moodle:

Providing raw source files

Posting editable source files (.tex, .docx, .xlsx) alongside standard PDFs meets students where they are:

• Math and science students can read raw .tex files directly or compile them locally for screen readers.
• Vision-impaired students can adjust font sizes or contrast directly within a .docx.
• Students analyzing data can apply custom color-coding or formatting in .xlsx or .csv files.

Flexibility is a cornerstone of accessibility, and raw files offer options that a static PDF simply cannot.

Releasing lecture materials early

Publishing slides or notes prior to class allows students to preview concepts, reduce processing anxiety, and annotate materials directly during lectures.

Rotating class notetakers

Assigning two or more student notetakers per class session and posting their notes to Moodle creates an inclusive safety net. It reduces anxiety for students who struggle with rapid typing or handwriting, provides an informal attendance and comprehension check for instructors, and models strong peer-to-peer learning habits.

Do you already incorporate UDL into your course? I’d love to hear about it as I’d love to learn more about UDL and its applications.

Accessibility is a community effort

No one creates inaccessible materials on purpose. Guidelines can feel convoluted, and tech workflows change quickly. Fortunately, the Swarthmore community deeply cares about doing the right thing.

Accessibility is never “done,” nor can it be handled by a single department, team, or person. It relies on an active network of advocates across campus. Within Information Technology Services (ITS), leaders like Corrine Schoeb and Mike Jones have helped build a culture where security and accessibility come first. Today, my ITS colleagues proactively champion accessible software features and workflows.

Across the broader College, the conversation has shifted. I rarely need to convince anyone that accessibility matters anymore; today’s goal is helping faculty and staff integrate small, sustainable steps into their existing routines.

Thank you for being part of this network of allies. As I transition into my new role as Academic Technologist for the Arts & Humanities, I look forward to continuing this work—pushing vendors for better software accessibility, coaching colleagues on everyday habits (like adding alt text in Slack!), and finding new ways UDL can enrich teaching and learning at Swarthmore.

This blog post was refined for flow, clarity, and polish by Google Gemini.