Policy
Subject: TECHNOLOGY
ACCESSIBILITY (numbering scheme AF
xxx)
Cabinet
Division: Provost
Date
Revised: 5/2003
I.
Background and Purpose
This policy is designed to
guide compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act with respect to the implementation of information and
instructional technology at UW-Superior.
II.
Constraints
The
Americans with Disabilities Act (
The text from the Reasonable Accommodations Policy of the
Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Technical Assistance Manual follows:
II-7.0000 COMMUNICATIONS Regulatory references: 28 CFR
35.160-35.164. II-7.1000 Equally effective communication. A public entity must
ensure that its communications with individuals with disabilities are as
effective as communications with others. This obligation, however, does not
require a public entity to take any action that it can demonstrate would result
in a fundamental alteration in the nature of its services, programs, or
activities, or in undue financial and administrative burdens.
Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that programs or activities
that receive federal money cannot, solely by reason of disability, exclude a
qualified disabled person from participation in, deny the benefits of, or
subject the person to discrimination.
The 1999 report of UW System President Lyall’s Committee on Access
to Technology for Individuals with Disabilities, http://www.uwsa.edu/olit/disacc/finrep.pdf,
contains recommendations which are incorporated in this policy.
III.
Definitions
Universal design: the process of creating products (devices, environments, systems, and processes) which are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations (environments, conditions, and circumstances.)
Public spaces: major
university facilities which are typically used for public as well as campus
events such as large group meetings, lectures, performances, or athletic
events. Spaces meeting this definition
are the Rothwell Student Center Ballroom, Manion Theatre, Kathryn Ohman
Theatre, Thorpe Langley Auditorium, Gates Gymnasium and Field House, and
Wessman Arena.
IV.
Policy Statements
4.1
Universal Design
The University of Wisconsin-Superior strives to achieve the implementation of universal design in its provision of information and instructional technology resources and facilities. In planning and selecting hardware, software, furniture, and systems, university faculty and staff will seek solutions which are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations.
4.2 Assistive Technology Strategy
The university’s
general strategy is to implement universal design (see above) and to make
assistive technology available where needed, when needed within the university
community. To do this effectively and
efficiently, needs which are identified as high cost/low demand will be met
through shared equipment and facilities managed or obtained by the Disabilities
Services Coordinator. In some cases,
non-technological solutions will be the most effective option.
4.3 Campus Technology Accessibility
a. Classrooms
Technology installed in campus classrooms will be designed and equipped for effective communication by both instructors and students with disabilities. Standard facilities will be as follows:
--video presentation equipment: closed caption display capability
--computer equipment: operating system tools to permit customization for hearing, seeing, and manual ability
As much as reasonable, furniture installed in classrooms for use with technology will be designed to be used by instructors and students with limited physical abilities.
b. Computer Labs
Buildings with major campus computer labs (defined as 20 seats or greater) will be equipped with
one or more assistive computer workstations. These workstations will feature software providing
speech recognition, text recognition, electronic text-to-speech conversion, and tools to permit
customization for hearing, seeing, and manual ability.
As much as reasonable, furniture installed in computer labs will be designed to be used by instructors and students with limited physical abilities.
c. Public Spaces
University presentations in public spaces will, wherever feasible, use technological methods to make full participation available to all participants. Available methods may include closed captioning or assistive listening devices.
4.4. External Technology Accessibility
a. World Wide Web
UW-Superior adopts the standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (1194.22) as its standards for accessible web design. These standards, based on the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, are those which the federal government requires of its own agencies.
Compliance with these standards are required for all individual faculty/staff, department, office, or unit web pages providing information to students, faculty, or staff.
Specific design requirements are as follows:
(1)A text equivalent for every
non-text element shall be provided (e.g., via "alt",
"longdesc", or in element content).
(2) Equivalent alternatives for any
multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.
(3) Web pages shall be designed so
that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for
example from context or markup.
(4) Documents shall be organized so
they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.
(5) Redundant text links shall be
provided for each active region of a server-side image map.
(6) Client-side image maps shall be
provided instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be
defined with an available geometric shape.
(7) Row and column headers shall be
identified for data tables.
(8) Markup shall be used to
associate data cells and header cells for data tables that have two or more
logical levels of row or column headers.
(9) Frames shall be titled with
text that facilitates frame identification and navigation.
(10) Pages shall be designed to
avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and
lower than 55 Hz.
(11) A text-only page, with
equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site
comply with the provisions of this part, when compliance cannot be accomplished
in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever
the primary page changes.
(12) When pages utilize scripting
languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information
provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be
read by assistive technology.
(13) When a web page requires that
an applet, plug-in or other application be present on the client system to
interpret page content, the page must provide a link to a plug-in or applet that
complies with accessibility standards.
(14) When electronic forms are
designed to be completed on-line, the form shall allow people using assistive
technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required
for completion and submission of the form, including all directions and cues.
(15) A method shall be provided
that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.
(16) When a timed response is
required, the user shall be alerted and given sufficient time to indicate more
time is required.
UW-Superior encourages use of the
XHTML language to meet accessibility requirements.
b. Distance learning
Course material delivered through distance learning formats must meet the same accessibility standards as material presented in campus classrooms. Video material must be available in a captioned format when needed, audio material must be available in transcript form when needed, and World Wide Web material must meet the standards provided elsewhere in this document.
c. Publications and media communications
All
training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the
university’s mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio
information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or
closed captioned.
All training and informational
video and multimedia productions which support the university’s mission,
regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the
comprehension of the content, shall be audio described.
Display or presentation of
alternate text presentation or audio descriptions shall be user-selectable
unless permanent.
V.
Policy Procedures
5.1
Integration with University Information Technology Plan
This policy will inform the biennial UW-Superior
Information Technology Plan. It will be
reviewed concurrently with the information technology plan cycle.
5.2
Implementation
The Information and Instructional Technology
Services management team and the ADA Coordinator are jointly responsible for
implementation of this policy.
VI.
Compliance
6.1
Review
The Chief Information Officer and the ADA
Coordinator will review campuswide compliance biennially as part of the
information technology plan cycle.
6.2
Consequences
Non-compliance will be reported to
the university cabinet at the time of review.
The availability of
resources for compliance may be an issue.
Resource needs for compliance should
be addressed through classroom/laboratory modernization, capital budget, or regular budget processes.