A compliance email from your Disability Services Office can feel vague, especially when it sounds serious but does not seem to explain what is actually wrong. Faculty sometimes read those messages as if they are being asked to rewrite their course, soften their policies, or satisfy some mysterious bureaucratic preference. Usually the request is much more practical than that.
What They Usually Mean
In most cases, your DSO wants fewer barriers in student-facing materials. That often means real heading structure, accessible tables, alt text where images convey information, correct language settings, and overall organization that assistive technology can navigate. They are usually not asking you to rewrite the academic substance of the syllabus. They are asking you to make the file usable.
Real Example
Suppose the office flags your syllabus for heading issues. They may not be asking you to change your policies at all. They may simply want you to convert bold section labels into real Heading 2 structure so a student using a screen reader can navigate the document efficiently. Same content, different structure, very different usability.
Why the Requests Sound So General
DSO notices often sound broad because the office is communicating from the compliance side, not the Word-document side. They may know the file creates a barrier without giving you a faculty-friendly explanation of which exact formatting choices caused it. That is one reason faculty-friendly remediation tools and examples matter so much.
Workflow
Read the compliance notice closely and identify any document-level issues it mentions explicitly. Then review the syllabus for those issues, correct the structure in Word, verify with Word's accessibility checker, and use AdaDocumentMaker to get a clearer sense of what the notice was probably referring to if the message itself was vague.
FAQ
Do they want me to rewrite my syllabus?
Usually no. Most of the time, structure is the issue, not the academic content.
Why are they focusing on formatting?
Because formatting choices often determine whether assistive technology can navigate the file.
Can I ask what was flagged?
Yes, and it is often a good idea if the original notice is unclear.
What should I fix first?
Start with the specific issues named in the notice, then address the most common structural barriers.
A Practical Place to Start
If your DSO flagged accessibility concerns but the notice feels vague, upload the syllabus to AdaDocumentMaker and use the report to identify the likely structural problems behind the warning.