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Communication and Adoption Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to support institutions and organizations in maximizing the benefits of Ally by increasing adoption. This comprehensive collection of resources provides tangible strategies, practical guidance, and ready-to-use materials to drive awareness, engagement, and adoption of Ally within your institution or organization. The content is organized by topic and is intended for all Ally users, including students, instructors, and administrators.

This version of the toolkit emphasizes strategic planning and communication. For instructional guidance or how-to resources, please visit the main Ally Help Site.

Who is the toolkit for?

Primarily designed for administrators, this toolkit supports institutional efforts to enhance accessibility by guiding both instructors and students in using Ally effectively.  It also serves as a direct resource for instructors and students, offering practical guidance on using Ally to enhance accessibility in teaching and learning. See below for sampling of available resources per user role: administrator, instructor, student.

For administrators, the toolkit includes:

  • An overarching Ally adoption strategy framework

  • Communication guidance and templates

  • Insights into advanced Ally features

  • Case studies showcasing how other institutions have adopted Ally

For instructors, the toolkit provides:

  • Strategies to promote Ally’s alternative formats to students

  • Guidance on implementing accessibility best practices in course design and pedagogy

  • Messaging templates

  • Resources to help strengthen Ally usage and improve classroom accessibility

For students, the toolkit includes:

  • An overview of the benefits of alternative formats

  • A review of the different types of alternative formats available

  • Use cases with tangible examples relevant to all students

  • Student-focused resources designed for instructors to share when communicating about Ally

Objectives

The Ally Communication and Adoption Toolkit is designed to:

  • Increase Awareness and Understanding – Help instructors and students recognize the benefits of Ally and how it supports accessibility and inclusive learning.

  • Drive Adoption and Engagement – Provide effective communication and adoption strategies to encourage widespread use of Ally’s features.

  • Empower Instructors – Equip educators with the knowledge and tools to create more accessible content and seamlessly integrate Ally into their course design and pedagogy.

  • Support Students – Ensure students understand how to use Ally’s alternative formats to enhance their learning experience and accessibility needs.

  • Promote Institutional Commitment – Align accessibility efforts with institutional goals, fostering a culture of inclusion and continuous improvement.

Mission and Mantra

At Anthology Ally, we are committed to fostering accessibility and inclusion in education by empowering instructors and students with the tools and knowledge to create more inclusive learning environments. We believe that accessibility is a journey—one that prioritizes progress over perfection. By providing actionable insights and practical solutions, we help educators take meaningful steps toward accessibility without feeling overwhelmed. The intention is to learn and grow in our collective knowledge of digital accessibility, not strive for perfection from the outset.

Above all, accessibility must be human-centric. It is, after all, fundamentally about people—it’s not just a checklist or technical standard to adhere to, but a commitment to creating equitable, meaningful learning experiences for all students. A human-centric approach ensures that accessibility isn’t treated as an afterthought or a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather as an integral part of teaching and learning.

Rather than relying on quick fixes or “magic buttons”, Ally keeps instructors in control by providing clear, actionable guidance to improve the accessibility of their digital course materials and maintaining the appropriate context for their course content. This approach respects instructors as subject matter experts, empowering them to make informed decisions about their content while ensuring that all students can engage with it effectively. By remediating accessibility issues at the source, instructors maintain autonomy, flexibility, and pedagogical intent, leading to more sustainable and meaningful improvements in course accessibility.