eita proposed policy, procedures and implementation plan
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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. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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:– [email protected]– 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)