EITA at UM
EITA= Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility
Background Information
Spring 2012
An OCR complaint filed against the University of Montana
March 2014
UM signs a resolution agreement with the US Dept of Education, OCR
Why is accessibility important?
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Education is our business
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Academic freedom for everyone
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Technology is frequently our educational medium
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It's the law
Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act
Accessibility is proactive, whereas accommodation is reactive.
2010 "Dear Colleague" Letter
Equally Effective Alternative
means that the alternative format or medium communicates the same information in as timely a fashion as does the original format or medium.
Everything can be made accessible
Strategy at the
University of Montana
Step 1: Self Study/Audit
- Websites/Web pages
- Documents
- Instructional materials
- Media
- Software, hardware, and software systems
Step 2: Corrective Action Plan
Step 3: Get to work!
- First step: Meet standards
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Second step: Ensure that accessibility works
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Third step: Ongoing accommodation & accessibility are a part of baseline operations
Takeaways
- Establish Accessibility Expert on campus
- Prioritize the accessibility of items that see consistent, long term use
- Identify what is inaccessible & create a Contingency Plan
Library
- eReserves are made available in Moodle
- Website redesign was a lot of work
- Computers are equipped with Read, Write, Gold and ABBIE Fine Reader
- Collecting eResources information.
- Library Accessibility
Insights
- Link to accessibility website on every webpage
- Staff training in WCAG 2.0 Standards
- Failure to complete training = Loss of web editing privileges
- Many resources available, including training courses and guides
Considerations and Recommendations
- Include a link to accessibility website on every webpage
- Handouts
- LibGuides
- ScholarWorks
- Primo
- Blog
- SharePoint
- Physical spaces- renovations?
EITA
By kirsteno3
EITA
- 618
