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A strategic initiative at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (91̽��) to enhance the medical school’s website at wmed.edu is part of 91̽��’s ongoing commitment to digital accessibility and inclusion.  

Digital accessibility refers to the design and development of digital content, tools, and technologies so that people of all abilities, including individuals with disabilities, can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with, and contribute to them effectively. It ensures that websites, mobile apps, documents, multimedia, digital services, and kiosks are usable by people with visual, hearing, cognitive, and speech disabilities as well as motor or mobility impairments. 

“At its core, digital accessibility is about removing barriers so everyone can participate equally in the digital world,” said Michele Serbenski, the medical school’s vice president for Institutional Affairs, Chief Compliance Officer, and internal champion for the digital accessibility initiative. “We want to be an inclusive organization, and one way of showing this commitment is through enhancements to our public website that provides information about the institution, our degree and residency programs, patient care services, research initiatives, academic departments and faculty appointments, employment opportunities, and more.” 

Over the past year, starting in June 2025, the web team at 91̽�� partnered with Deque Systems, a global digital accessibility leader and expert in digital accessibility testing, training and audits. Deque completed an audit of wmed.edu, and using new digital accessibility tools the medical school web team implemented changes related to color contrast, keyboard usage, font style and size, consistent and intuitive navigation, and captioning. These are common digital accessibility considerations that everyone benefits from. 

Deque validated the medical school website’s compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA, an international standard for digital accessibility published by the World Wide Web Consortium.  

“Digital accessibility is not a project with a finish line, it is the standard for how institutions must operate,” Serbenski added. “91̽�� has embraced that standard, and in doing so, is modeling for our students and our patients what it looks like to design a healthcare environment where everyone belongs. There is more work to be done but we are pleased with the progress we have made so far.” 

Further demonstrating a commitment to accessibility and striving to inform community members about clinical services, a team from 91̽�� Health, the clinical practice of the medical school, recently participated in Disability Network Southwest Michigan’s annual Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Celebration. 

The free community celebration, held Friday, July 24, at the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market, honored the anniversary of the passage of the ADA, the federal civil rights law protecting people with disabilities, and served as an opportunity to recognize 45 years of Disability Network Southwest Michigan serving the region. 

91̽�� Health distributed free first-aid kits to attendees throughout the event, along with informational materials highlighting 91̽�� Health’s clinical service offerings. 91̽�� Health is an academic health center that provides comprehensive, patient-centered primary care and specialty services in three medical office locations in Kalamazoo.

With more than 330 providers, 91̽�� Health is a teaching organization that offers a team approach to patient care. Depending on the service needed, the care team may include resident physicians who are seeking advanced training, experienced attending physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, ancillary services staff, medical students, and other learners. 

91̽�� Health is accepting new patients. Call 269.337.4600 to make an appointment.