Access Plan
Introduction
Background
First Steps
Evaluation
Course Retrofitting
Accommodations
Effective Policies
Resources
Designing one course for accessibility, or accommodating one request by one student with a disability, may help provide educational opportunities for one or more students with a disability. However, in order to have an impact on a large number of courses across a campus or a university system, some kind of policy should be in place.
Adopting a policy for accessibility to information technology that includes distance learning courses has the following positive outcomes:
Policy development establishes expectations for accessibility. For accessibility for students with disabilities to be a consistent reality, an institution has to establish that accessibility will be required and expected. Treating accessibility as an afterthought, or an add-on, ensures that students with disabilities will have to struggle to get equal treatment.
Policy development fosters cost savings on an institutional level. As this module points out, planning for accessibility can help to save time and money in the course development process. While accessibility training and course retrofitting will cost more up-front, such efforts should result in long-term savings as instructors become more skilled in creating accessible content.
Policy development helps protect against costly litigation. As of this writing, there are no effective standards for accessibility in distance learning or information technology access under the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, institutions of higher learning could face future litigation by students seeking to enforce their rights under the ADA. An institution with a policy in place for accessibility in this area will be much more likely to be able to defend themselves against such litigation than an institution without such a policy.
Policy development helps confirm institutional commitments to accessibility. Most institutions have a strong commitment to inclusion and diversity which includes students with disabilities. Drafting and implementing a strong policy regarding electronic accessibility reinforces that commitment and helps to ensure that the campus will continue to be a welcoming environment for all students.
For institutions that do not have a policy in place, there may be a tendency to spend a great deal of time developing a new policy. However, there is little need to "reinvent the wheel" in policy development. Many institutions have already developed policies which cover information technology accessibility, and others have developed policies that are specific to the distance learning environment. Following the best parts of these practices can be beneficial in developing a new policy.
from the AccessIT
project at the University of Washington and use the Web Access Policy and Standards Construction Tool from the ITTATC project at the Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access.Whether an institution is developing a new policy, or reviewing an existing policy, it is still important to evaluate the policy to ensure that it meets the needs of the institution and the students. Checking the effectiveness of the policy is key to providing equal access for all students. The AccessIT project has identified the following characteristics of information technology accessibility policies in higher education:
What groups of people with disabilities are covered? Effective policies cover all students with disabilities. Some policies, however, cover only students who are blind or have low vision. While the majority of issues regarding accessibility deal with students who are blind or who have low vision, other groups -- such as people with mobility disabilities, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or people with photosensitive epilepsy -- should be considered in policy development. Additionally, more and more students with learning disabilities are beginning to use screen readers and other pieces of assistive technology originally developed for students who are blind -- and may encounter similar barriers. An effective policy should be as inclusive as possible, and apply on a cross-disability basis.
What types of technology are covered? One weakness of many policies is that the policies incorporate the Section 508 or Web Accessibility Initiative standards. However, these "first generation" standards do not cover the "second generation" course materials frequently found in distance education -- such as PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, and other non-HTML elements. Policies should be written to cover many different types of information technology products and services -- not just HTML pages on school websites. Additionally, an effective policy should cover the procurement of information technology.
Which entities are covered? On some campuses, existing policies only cover one department. Some campuses have a policy that covers their library system but not the academic curriculum. Some campuses have policies regarding website design, but not regarding distance learning accessibility. Having one policy for an entire campus helps to promote uniformity and raises expectations for access.
How is compliance measured? Implementing and enforcing the policy is just as important as developing the policy in the first place. Who is responsible for evaluating information technology? What penalties are there for failure to comply with the policy? How are complaints and grievances handled?
How will the policy be disseminated? How will faculty and staff know about the policy? Is it publicly posted? Is training available?
What if the technology changes? Will the policy continue to apply to new and emerging technologies? Or will the policy need to be assessed periodically as assistive technology and information technology products become more sophisticated?
Does the policy meet the needs of all students? Might some students still experience barriers even after the policy has been fully implemented? What procedures are in place for students to request additional accommodations? Have students with disabilities and disability services offices been included in the policy development process?
Asking questions such as these helps to clarify the policy and insure that it meets the stated goal of achieving accessibility for students with disabilities.
The next page will present resources for planning.
College of Architecture (COA)
Fax: 404-894-9320
Phone: 404-894-4960 (v/tty)
User Agreement
Previous Page
