DO-IT - Assistive Technology

��ԭ�� State IT Accessibility Capacity Building Institute (2020)

eol — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 06:32:57 +0000

This publication shares the proceedings of the ��ԭ�� State 2020 Information Technology (IT) Accessibility Capacity Building Institute (CBI), which was held online on December 14, 2020. A catalyst for the CBI was ��ԭ�� State Policy #188 on Accessibility, which was first published in 2016 and serves to ensure that IT procured, developed, and used by state agencies, including public colleges and universities, is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. UW-IT’s Accessible Technology Services (ATS) at the ��ԭ�� (UW) hosted the event for individuals representing a variety of stakeholder groups engaged in their postsecondary institution’s IT accessibility efforts. Attendees included

47 individuals representing 22 postsecondary institutions,
15 people who serve as their institution’s Policy #188 Coordinator,
People whose job titles and roles varied greatly, and fell into one or more broad areas that include information technology, disability services, assistive or accessible technology services, instructional design, instructors, and library services,
Individuals who attended similar CBIs hosted by the UW, including the first two-day face-to-face event on November 29-30, 2016 held on the UW Seattle campus (see also the Proceedings of the 2016 CBI) as well as individuals who did not.

The 2020 IT Accessibility CBI provided opportunities for attendees to share strategies, successes, and challenges related to their IT accessibility efforts over the last five years.

These proceedings may be useful for people who

participated in the current or earlier IT Accessibility CBIs,
have been identified as their institution’s Policy #188 Coordinator,
are developing policy and processes to support compliance with Policy #188 and its associated standard, or
are addressing similar IT accessibility issues at postsecondary institutions nationwide.

Teamwork: Making IT Accessible at the ��ԭ�� and Statewide

eol — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:19:09 +0000

This video highlights efforts at the ��ԭ�� and other state schools regarding the procurement, development and use of accessible IT.

Project:

AccessADVANCE

Assistive Technology

Year:

2019

Teamwork: Making IT Accessible at the ��ԭ�� and Statewide

Featured:

off

UD Topic:

Lists:

Educator Resource

��ԭ�� State Accessible IT Capacity Building Institute on Policy #188 (Jan 2018)

eol — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 18:32:12 +0000

WA Accessible IT Policy 188 CBI Proceedings.pdf

January 11, 2018
Seattle, WA

This publication shares the proceedings of ��ԭ�� State Accessible IT Capacity Building Institute on Policy #188, which was held in Seattle, ��ԭ�� on January 11, 2018. Attendees included disability service and computing professionals and Policy #188 coordinators from postsecondary institutions across ��ԭ�� State. Policy #188 serves to ensure that IT procured, developed, and used by state agencies, including public colleges and universities, is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

These proceedings may be useful for people who

participated in the CBI,
have been identified to be the coordinator regarding the agency’s information technology accessibility plan and to support complaint resolution,
are developing policy and processes to support and ensure compliance with this policy and associated standard, and
are addressing similar accessible IT issues at postsecondary institutions nationwide.

This event was sponsored by UW Accessible Technology Services (ATS) at the ��ԭ�� (UW), a UW-IT (��ԭ�� Information Technology) unit that directs both the Access Technology and DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Centers. The meeting was facilitated by Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, the director of ATS, and Terrill Thompson, accessibility technology specialist. ATS’s two centers are dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. They promote awareness and accessibility to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive.

The DO-IT Center strives to

increase the success of people with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers;
promote the application of universal design to physical spaces, information technology, instruction, and services;
freely distribute online content, publications, and videos for use in presentations, exhibits, and the classroom; and
provide resources for students with disabilities, K-12 educators, postsecondary faculty and administrators, librarians, employers, parents, and mentors.

The Access Technology Center (ATC) focuses on ensuring UW students, faculty, and staff with disabilities have the same access to technology—including computers, software, and special equipment—as other students, faculty, and staff. ATC staff help individuals select and use assistive technology and supports a showroom with numerous products:

speech and braille output
screen magnification
alternatives to the keyboard and mouse
speech recognition software
tools to make reading and writing easier and computer use more comfortable
the capacity to create documents in e-text and braille

The show room includes a collection of accessible science equipment such as automatic stirrers, tactile measuring devices, and talking calculators. The ATC provides braille embossing and tactile graphics for the UW community.

ATC staff promote the development and use of accessible technology products by

encouraging student computing facilities to include assistive technology;
offering courses, delivering presentations, and conducting ATC tours for UW classes and other groups;
working with campus units to prepare documents, videos, and other materials in accessible electronic formats;
assisting campus web developers in designing accessible websites and applications;
working with vendors of IT products used by the UW to improve accessibility; and
supporting a central resource to provide guidance to technologists and administrators at the UW and beyond.

How can Office for Civil Rights resolutions help guide campuses in making information technology accessible?

lylac — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 20:05:03 +0000

Date Updated:

05/26/22

In order for information technology (IT) to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, it must afford these individuals the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in interactions, and obtain services as people without disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Department of Justice (DoJ), and courts of law have resolved civil rights complaints with respect to IT access for individuals with disabilities at more than a dozen postsecondary institutions in the United States.

Resolutions to OCR and DoJ complaints regarding inaccessible IT suggest that institutions of higher education consider:

developing corrective action strategies, e.g., to systematically review and update websites and PDF files to be more accessible
developing and disseminating an accessible IT policy
creating IT accessibility standards
providing training and education
developing procurement policies and procedures
developing and publicizing grievance procedures
addressing accessibility within already developed, procured, and used IT, including websites, learning management systems (LMSs), classroom technologies, and purchased software

Beyond that, ideally an institution of higher education might have:

a campus-level task force with annual reports
a IT accessibility guidance website
standard accessible web page templates
IT accessibility consulting/testing services
accessibility included on IT development and support teams
collaboration between vendors and staff for creating and purchasing accessible software and technology
IT accessibility courses offered
accessibility included in general IT training
accessibility included in IT job postings
an IT accessibility leader in each campus unit
captions promoted as a best practice
grant writers encouraged to include accessible technology in grant outcomes
accessibility-awareness activities and products
IT accessibility capacity-building institutes
grants secured to supplement and expand the reach of IT accessibility efforts
leadership related to IT accessibility in professional organizations and publications
students with disabilities as accessibility testers

Find more information consult legal cases by issue on the ��ԭ��’s website. Consult the Information Technology resource section of the DO-IT website for additional information regarding the implementation of universal design principles to make IT accessible to everyone.

What strategies can disability and information technology (IT) professionals implement to encourage accessibility of webpages, videos, and documents on their campuses?

lylac — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 22:38:19 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Steps that disability and IT professionals can take to ensure the accessibility of their campus IT resources include:

Create a video starring campus leaders inviting administrator and faculty buy-in for campus-wide accessibility in order to raise awareness and build acceptance.
Develop an accessible campus guide to instruct professors and staff on inclusive practices as well as start a big-picture conversation.
Collaborate with other institutions to push accessibility. This could include weekly accessibility tips, strategic IT project planning, and the promotion of searchable captions to improve everyone’s experience.
Share resources with other schools.
Hold training sessions with stakeholders, including those in IT positions and in disability student services, marketing communications, and faculty. Teach participants about web and document accessibility and about the sort of assistive technology their students might use.
Create an interdepartmental accessibility task force at each college to set realistic goals. Track activities and create an annual report.
Make sure there is a strong, ongoing relationship between disability services and IT staff. A partnership puts accessibility at the forefront of IT projects and teaches members of IT about disability, accommodations, and universal design. Provide training and plan goals together.
Hold paid strategizing sessions with students with disabilities to encourage participation and better understand accessibility problems and solutions.
Focus on short-term goals and long-term goals separately. Choose what you can fix now by looking at Office of Civil Rights (OCR) cases for ideas on what can be changed easily and then plan for the future. Creating a gap analysis is a great way to set the ideal situation and see where you need to close the gap.
Send stakeholders to conferences on accessibility including Accessing Higher Ground and the California State University Northridge Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference.

For more information on how disability and IT professionals can ensure the accessibility of their campus IT resources consult the Proceedings of the February 2015 IT Accessibility in Higher Education Capacity Building Institute (CBI).

DO-IT - Assistive Technology

����ԭ�� State IT Accessibility Capacity Building Institute (2020)

Teamwork: Making IT Accessible at the ����ԭ�� and Statewide

����ԭ�� State Accessible IT Capacity Building Institute on Policy #188 (Jan 2018)

How can Office for Civil Rights resolutions help guide campuses in making information technology accessible?

What strategies can disability and information technology (IT) professionals implement to encourage accessibility of webpages, videos, and documents on their campuses?

��ԭ�� State IT Accessibility Capacity Building Institute (2020)

Teamwork: Making IT Accessible at the ��ԭ�� and Statewide

��ԭ�� State Accessible IT Capacity Building Institute on Policy #188 (Jan 2018)