EITA Proposed Policy, Procedures and Implementation Plan

Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Why?

• Education is our business• Academic freedom for everyone• Technology is frequently our educational

medium

• It’s the law

When we wait to provide accessible materials and accommodations until students self-identify:• There is almost always some lag time before

the student gets the materials• Other students who might benefit from digital

accessibility aren’t receiving the benefit• UM usually has to provide a higher level of

accommodation than when a base level of accessibility is provided.

When all permanent and temporary disabilities (including cognitive and learning disabilities) are combined with foreign students and older non-traditional students, we approach 20% of the student body who benefits directly from accessible technology or tech products.

Refer to user experiences onhttp://www.umt.edu/accessibility

Update

Different model

• Base level of access• “Universal design”• Proactive vs. reactive

Draft UM Policy• Web• Instructional materials• Documents• Media• Software• Procurement (Purchasing)

Web

• Standards/Guidelines:– WCAG 2.0 AA Standards

• Deadline: 12/31/2014 (RA)• Campus Resources:– IT’s Web Technology Services (WTS) – Accessible Technology Services (ATS)

Benefits

• Easiest, most ubiquitous access for everyone• Accessible web content gets higher “ratings”

and hits from search engines (SEO)• Forms and surveys get compiled and analyzed

automatically

Instructional Materials

• Standards/Guidelines:– UM’s Instructional Materials Checklist

• Deadlines:– Environment: past– Content: as listed in each area

• Campus Support:– UMOnline’s support for accessible online education– ATS’s support for accessible face-to-face / classroom

education

Benefits

• Baseline accessibility:– Professors don’t have to scramble– Students don’t have to scramble

• The focus can be on fine-tuning• Yet unknown benefits for:– Those who don’t know that they would learn

better from additional options– Those of us with temporary issues

Documents• Standards/Guidelines:– Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.0 to Non-Web Information and

Communications Technologies• Deadline: 12/31/2014 – non industry-specific notation

• Campus Support:– convertdoc@umontana.edu– UMOnline’s workshops on various forms of accessible

documents– IT’s shortcourses on accessible technology & ATS’s support for

document modification

Benefits

• Currently at least 400 students without vision issues need text-based documents

• Easier to create documents when software is used well

• Table of Contents and document map support• Quick switch from one publisher to another

Media• Standards/Guidelines:

– Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Guidelines• Deadline:

– 1/26/2014: Transcripts (audio) & captions (video)– Fall 2016: Audio descriptions (video)

• Campus Support:– Tammy Ravas, Mansfield Library, helps find captioned media– UMOnline captions their own productions and advises– IT’s Accessible Technology Services provides captioning,

transcription and audio descriptions

Benefits

• Noisy environments• Videos on YouTube can be searched by

captions• Combination of audio and visual beneficial for

some learners including ESL

Software

• Standards/Guidelines:– United States Access Board Section 508 Standards

(including the Software Applications and Operating Systems (1194.21) standards)

• Deadline: May 1, 2014• Campus Support:– Accessible Technology Services (IT) evaluates

software and web pages for accessibility

Procurement1. By May 1, 2014, the University shall develop and institute

procedures that require the University to purchase or recommend only EITs that will provide the same programs, benefits, and services as they do to individuals without disabilities

2. 2. By May 1, 2014, the University shall implement as part of its request for proposal process a requirement that bidders meet the accessibility standards of WCAG 2.0 Level AA for web-based technology (as set forth in Appendix A to this Agreement) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act for other EITs

Refer to EIT Accessibility Study onhttp://www.umt.edu/accessibility

What’s the first step for faculty?• Web - ask IT’s WTS/ATS to evaluate class-related

web pages• Instructional materials – refer to the checklist• Documents – learn the benefits, multiple support

options• Media - send media to IT’s ATS• Software / Procurement (Purchasing) - have

software evaluated. It’s incorporated in the process

What’s the first step for faculty?• Web - ask IT’s WTS/ATS to evaluate class-related

web pages• Instructional materials – refer to the checklist• Documents – learn the benefits, multiple support

options• Media - send media to IT’s ATS• Software / Procurement (Purchasing) - have

software evaluated. It’s incorporated in the process

Refer to Start simple onhttp://www.umt.edu/accessibility

Resources

Many resources• Montana Accessibility Interest Group• Accesspartners-l listserv• Shortcourses

Many people• UMOnline: (406) 243-6434• Accessible Technology Services: (406) 243-

HELP (4357)• Departmental technical support • EITA Working Group

Please join in

Fill out the self-study (web) forms before leaving for summer

Please join in

• Read through the website (umt.edu/accessibility)

• Attend shortcourses• Ask questions• Make the electronic and information

technology and products that you are responsible for accessible

Watch for opportunities to learn and join the campus in creating accessibility over the summer, during the fall semester and into the future

http://www.umt.edu/accessibility

243-EITA (3482)