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POLICY 00:04:01

ACCESSIBLE INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Accessible Informational Materials and Technologies

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)(1990) as amended and the Rehabilitation Act Section 504 (1973) and because Pellissippi State Community College’s mission is guided in part by our commitment to accessibility and diversity, all informational materials and technologies should meet accessibility best practices and standards set forth in the most current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Levels A and AA, Epub3 Accessibility Guidelines (specifically for EBooks) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Scope

All informational materials and technologies will comply with the Accessible Informational Materials and Technologies policy. See the Accessible Informational Materials and Technologies Plan (AIMT Plan), for details on how to meet this policy.

  • Pellissippi State’s Accessible Informational Materials and Technologies policy and plan are driven by the following principles:
  • Informational materials and technology accessibility is an institution-wide responsibility that requires commitment and involvement from all employees across the college.
  • Access for individuals with disabilities must provide comparable functionality, affordability, and timeliness delivered in as seamless a manner as possible.
  • The implementation of Universal Design for Learning principles should reduce the need for, and costs associated with, individual accommodations for inaccessible technology products.

Exceptions

Exceptions may be granted by the AIMT Accessibility Committee, as defined in the AIMT Plan under certain circumstances including, but not limited to, fundamental alteration, as defined below, or undue burden to the College. Exceptions should be narrowly tailored, limited in duration, and should describe the method through which equally effective alternative access will be provided.

Adoptions/Procurement Process

Pellissippi State will purchase and recommend only accessible informational materials and technologies, except when it is technically unfeasible or would result in an undue burden to do so, in which case the procedures require an accessible alternate product and must provide equally effective access to the program, activity or information. The alternative format or medium must communicate the same information in a timely fashion. When such exceptions are necessary, the means for alternative access and/or materials must be identified and responsibility for implementation assigned prior to the use of the original format or medium. With regard to adoption of textbooks and other classroom materials, faculty must follow Pellissippi State policy 03:03:00, which states in part:

Accessibility of all course content, including (but not limited to) books, computer software, websites, instruction manuals, videos, study guides, laboratory manuals, and computer-assisted instruction modules must be ensured when adopting textbooks and other course materials. Faculty responsible for textbook adoption will request that sales representatives and publishers provide accessible alternate formats of their textbooks, if available, prior to agreeing to purchase the books. If alternate formats are unavailable, hard copies of textbooks will be provided in Disability Services in a timely manner when requested for alternate format development.

Definitions

Accessible means that individuals with disabilities can independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same timeframe as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use.

Equally effective means that the alternative format communicates the same information in a timely fashion. For interactive applications and hardware devices, “equally effective” means that the user action (e.g., registration) is accomplished in a comparable time and with comparable effort on the part of the requester.

Fundamental Alteration is a change so significant that it alters the essential functions or nature of the service, program or activity.

Informational materials and technologies are items that are created, purchased or identified to serve in instruction and/or communicate information both in the curricular and noncurricular settings.

Examples of informational materials include but are not limited to, textbooks (in bound, unbound, kit or package form), library media (print, non-print, and electronic resources), instructional software content, web/online content and learning objects, E-books, CDROM, DVDs, videos, slides/presentations, film and filmstrips, learning laboratories, recordings, manipulatives, consumables and virtual communications/web-conferencing.

Examples of technologies include, but are not limited to, Internet and intranet web electronic content, electronic books and electronic book reading systems, search engines and databases, learning management systems, classroom technology and multimedia, telecommunications products, computers and ancillary equipment, software, information kiosks and transaction machines, videos, IT services, and multifunction office machines which copy, scan, fax documents and emerging technologies.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is the accessibility standards developed by the U.S. federal government. See: https://www.section508.gov/.

Undue burden means significant difficulty or expense. In determining whether an action would result in an undue burden, an agency shall consider all agency resources available to the program or component for which the product is being developed, procured, maintained, or used.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) Level A and AA are web accessibility guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. See https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards- guidelines/wcag/.

Related Policies:

  • Universal design policy (00-04-00)
  • Web and Social media policy (08-13-04)
  • Selection of instructional materials policy (03-03-00)

Issues related to this policy

Accessibility issues may be brought to the attention of the College by reporting the matter to the campus Executive Director of Equity and Compliance. Refer to the policy on Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination in Education and Employment (Policy 00:03:00) for procedures on filing complaints of discrimination.

 

Review/Recommended: President’s Council, May 6, 2019
Approved: President L. Anthony Wise, Jr., May 6, 2019