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Information Technology Accessibility

700.170 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

A. BACKGRROUND/PURPOSE

Wenatchee Valley College (WVC) is committed to providing equal opportunity in accommodations, benefits, rights, and privileges of college services, programs, and activities for every qualified student with disabilities. Increasingly, the information, interactions, and services required for learning are delivered via electronic means, and these must also be accessible to every student.

This policy and accompanying procedure applies to the procurement, development, and implementation of instructional, administrative, or communications technologies and content. The policy and procedure further applies to both current and emerging technologies, including both hardware and software, either in use or being evaluated for purchase or adoption at WVC. The policy and procedure encompasses, but is not limited to: WVC websites, learning management systems, student information systems, electronic documents, instructional materials and assessment tools.

B. POLICY STATEMENT

WVC shall act in accordance with compliance standards set forth by: the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Policy 3.20.3B; Washington State Policy 188 - Accessibility, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 Amendments, and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines AA Standards.

WVC aspires to: continually work to eliminate any extra step that a student with a disability must take to access/use electronic information/learning technologies that an abled student does not have to take; create a learning environment that is so welcoming to students with disabilities that their numbers and success rates increase. In short, ensuring equal and effective electronic and information technology access is the responsibility of all WVC employees.

C. INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED/RESPONSIBLE

  1. Student access services coordinator.
  2. Teaching and learning success center coordinator.
  3. Accessible technology work group (as represented by members of the student access services, information technology, libraries, WVC Faculty, and the diversity, equity and inclusion departments/divisions).
  4. Diversity and cultural enrichment and support for learning core theme councils.
  5. Libraries and learning technologies (including information technology).
  6. All WVC departments and programs (including faculty and classified and exempt staff).

Approved by the president’s cabinet: 12/13/16
Adopted by the board of trustees: 1/18/17
Last reviewed: __/__/__
Policy contact: Technology

Related policies and procedures
1700.170 Information Technology Accessibility Procedure        

1700.170 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY PROCEDURE

A. STUDENT ACCESS SERVICES DIRECTOR

  1. Shall communicate technology accommodations requests to impacted faculty and staff.
  2. Shall direct faculty and staff who are working to address the accessibility needs of students to the teaching and learning success center coordinator and the accessible technology work group for support, as appropriate.

B. TEACHING AND LEARNING SUCCESS CENTER COORDINATOR AND ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY WORK GROUP

  1. Shall convene on a monthly basis to address accessible technology concerns and WVC community questions, as they pertain to WVC policies, procedures and protocols.
  2. Shall promote awareness and dedication to accessibility throughout the WVC district via professional and student training and development opportunities.
  3. Shall mediate student accessibility requests and/or grievances as needed.
  4. Shall coordinate instruction and support for campus community members creating WVC websites and content so that individuals who author web content will do so in accordance with WCAG 2 Guidelines AA Standards.
  5. Shall review campus status reports for compliance with this procedure and accompanying policy and review requests for exception on a case-by-case basis.
  6. Shall initiate a review of and make necessary changes to this procedure and accompanying policy at least once every two years.

C. DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT AND SUPPORT FOR LEARNING CORE THEME COUNCILS

  1. Shall provide oversight for the policies and decisions made on the part of the accessible technology work group.

D. LIBRARIES AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES (including information technology)

  1. Shall expend every reasonable effort to ensure the accessibility of technologies procured, developed, or substantially modified or enhanced following the effective date of this procedure and accompanying policy.  Such technologies include, but are not limited to: WVC websites, learning management systems, student information systems, electronic documents, instructional materials and assessment tools.
  2. Shall review current technologies for accessibility and, wherever possible, resolve any identified deficiencies at least once every year.

E. ALL DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS

  1. Shall comply with web accessibility standards when creating web content, sites and programs.
  2. Shall ensure that online activities are hosted in accessible environments and that online content meets the standards outlined in this procedure and accompanying policy.
  3. Shall work with the teaching and learning success center coordinator and/or the student access coordinator to address student accessibility requests and/or concerns as needed.

F. EXCEPTIONS:

It is expected that all reasonable attempts are made, particularly on the part of information technology, to procure, develop, modify, or enhance electronic and/or web-based learning technologies and environments that are accessible to all students, except in the following instances:

  1. An accessible alternative to the technology under review does not exist.
  2. Accessible alternatives are cost-prohibitive to WVC departments and programs and accommodations to meet individual students’ needs are available.

Requests for exceptions shall be reviewed and either granted or denied by the accessible technology work group, with oversight from the diversity and cultural enrichment and support for learning core theme councils when needed, on a case-by-case basis.

Approved by the president’s cabinet: 12/13/16
Presented to the board of trustees: 1/18/17
Last reviewed: __/__/__
Procedure contact: Technology

Related policies and procedures
700.170 Information Technology Accessibility Policy