WCAG 2.0 Level AA
From the UC Electronic Accessibility website:
IT accessibility is a rapidly developing field. One area where
standards have emerged is Web-based technologies. The requirements
document (of the proposed UC policy) establishes WCAG 2.0 Level AA as
the standard for university Web content. WCAG 2.0 is a widely accepted
standard for Web content that was developed by the World Wide Web
Consortium.
As UC policies go, it is relatively short, only four pages. But, oh,
how important it is in the electronic information age at a public
university.
The policy states in part: “The University of California is committed
to supporting an information technology environment that is accessible
to all, and in particular to individuals with disabilities.”
The Information Technology Accessibility Policy and accompanying
requirements are still in draft form — posted online for review, with
comments welcome through July 22. Send them by email to ITS-accessibilitypolicy-SA@ucop.edu.
Earlier this week, a UC Davis IT leader and the chief compliance
officer sent an email to the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors and
the Campus Council for Information Technology, among others, encouraging
feedback and asking the recipients to spread the word about the draft
policy.
“As a public institution, it is important for the university to
ensure that electronic information, programs and services are accessible
to everyone,” wrote David Levin, director of Academic Technology
Services (part of Information and Educational Technology); and Wendi
Delmendo, compliance officer.
The proposed policy defines “accessible” as follows: “The concept
that people with disabilities are able to access and use a product or
system, including with the help of assistive technologies. For example,
an ‘accessible’ website may be designed so that the text can be enlarged
by the user, rather than having a fixed font size, or may be designed
so that it can be interpreted and ‘read out loud’ by screen reader
software used by blind or low-vision people.”
The policy also aims to assist people in the UC community whose
disabilities are less obvious and who choose not to disclose them, and,
more broadly, the thousands of people around the state — veterans and
older alumni among them — who may wish to connect with UC as learners or
donors but who might not be able to do so if the university’s websites
are not accessible.
Flexibility at each location
Under the proposal, every UC location would be required to establish
an IT Accessibility Program. The UC Electronic Accessibility website
elaborates (on a page
devoted to the proposed policy): “The policy and requirements are
structured to give locations the flexibility to develop and support an
IT Accessibility Program that reflects local needs and resources.
“The programs are intended to help locations address IT accessibility
in a holistic manner, balancing the academic, research and
administrative needs against the realities of resource constraints and
technology limitations. Locations will need to prioritize IT
accessibility efforts and continually work toward achieving a more
accessible IT environment.
“IT accessibility is not a one-time universitywide effort but needs
to be incorporated into every IT activity on an ongoing basis.”
The UC Davis campus already has an Electronic Accessibility
Committee, comprising campus service providers, faculty, staff and
students. Chief Information Officer Pete Siegel established the
committee in 2009.
Levin, a committee member, said: “At UC Davis, we approach electronic
accessibility as a search for the electronic equivalent of curb cuts —
those sidewalk cutouts that were originally put in so that people in
wheelchairs could get around, but which now are used by mothers with
strollers, skateboarders, delivery people and bicyclists.”
The committee was instrumental in developing the Center for Accessible Technologies, which opened in 2010; and created the Accessibility at UC Davis website. The committee also presents accessibility awareness events— the most recent of which took place May 9.
The committee established processes to incorporate universal design
principles into online and hybrid courses, electronic textbooks and
similar initiatives, as well as campus technologies and other online
resources, all from their inception. Also available: tools and training
programs to assist faculty and staff in producing accessible documents,
and the campus’s IT professionals in designing, purchasing and modifying
accessible software..
The proposed policy also directs UC locations to:
- Develop, purchase and-or acquire, to the extent feasible, hardware and software products that are accessible to people with disabilities.
- Promote awareness of the policy to all members of the university community, particularly those in roles that are responsible for creating, selecting or maintaining electronic content and applications.
‘The right thing to do’
UC Davis’ Electronic Accessibility Committee, with representatives
from administrative and academic units, did extensive work to prepare
the campus for the new UC policy and will play an important role in
overseeing its implementation, Levin and Delmendo said in their email to
campus leaders.
Once the review period closes, the UC-wide Electronic Accessibility
Leadership Team will gather feedback and make revisions as necessary,
and then submit the policy and requirements for review by the Academic
Senate. The university’s Policy Steering Committee, appointed by the
president, has the final say.
President Mark G. Yudof supported the effort early on. “This
initiative offers an exciting new opportunity to think systematically
and creatively about how we serve the growing number of people who, with
or without formally disclosing a disability, increasingly depend on a
fully accessible electronic environment,” he wrote in a July 21, 2010, letter to all UC chancellors.
“As part of a broad and substantive commitment to accessibility in
all venues, the time has come for the university to take a lead role in
advancing electronic accessibility, not only because it is the right
thing to do, but also to tap new sources of innovation and imagination.”
Online
UC Electronic Accessibility, including an overview, standards and best practices, and sections for Web developers and content developers
Proposed policy, including the policy and requirements (PDFs), plus frequently asked questions
Source : http://dateline.ucdavis.edu , 31st May 2013
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