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Importance of Accessibility

Importance of Accessibility. Importance of Accessibility. Providing accessible content to students in a timely manner is important because of: Required Legal guidelines we must meet Benefits it provides to other students Our responsibility to provide an equitable education to all students.

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Importance of Accessibility

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  1. Importance of Accessibility

  2. Importance of Accessibility • Providing accessible content to students in a timely manner is important because of: • Required Legal guidelines we must meet • Benefits it provides to other students • Our responsibility to provide an equitable education to all students

  3. Legal Backdrop • Institutions of Higher Education follow laws, statutes, and policies at many levels. In Kansas, we must follow the: • Rehabilitation Act, Sections 504 and 508 • Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended • Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act • Kansas Web Content Accessibility Guidelines • Kansas State Course Accessibility Standards Policy

  4. Rehabilitation Act, Sections 504 &508 • Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • Brief overview of the Rehabilitation Act • First legislative effort to provide access rights to people with physical and cognitive disabilities. • Section 504 addresses civil rights. It prevents discrimination by employers and organizations that receive federal funding. • Section 508 was added in 1998 barring any federal government from creating any electronic and information technology that is inaccessible. This includes web accessibility. • As Kansas State University is a federally funded institution, we are obligated not to discriminate and to create and use accessible technology.

  5. Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended • Americans with Disability Act as Amended • Brief overview of ADAA • People with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in programs, services, and activities. • Title II – communications must be as “effective as communication with others” [28 C.F.R. ss 35.160 (a)] • Title III – addresses accommodating people with disabilities in all public facilities • At Kansas State, our online communication is much of what we do. Disability Support Services accommodates students taking part in programs on campus and online.

  6. Section 255 - Telecommunications Act • FCC information on the Act • access-board.gov has a brief overview • Telecommunication devices must be designed and fabricated to be accessible • Telecommunications technology that is purchased for student use, especially that which is required for student programs, must be accessible. • There are no provisions for damages, although complaints are filled with the FCC.

  7. Kansas Web Content Accessibility Guidelines • Information Technology Policy 1210 • This policy was put into place in reference to the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, Kansas Acts Against Discrimination and the World Wide Web Consortium Guidelines 2.0. • “6.1 All Entity websites, web services, and web applications shall be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities in accordance with federal and state law.”

  8. Kansas State Course Accessibility Standards Policy • Course Accessibility Standards Policy • “Many of the courses offered at Kansas State University use technology to enhance course delivery, both on-campus and through distance learning (referred to as eLearning). The United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has stated that eLearning must be designed and delivered in such a way that all students, including students with disabilities, have equal access to course content.”

  9. Other Reasons for Accessibility • Documents that are accessible are often easier for all students to use (Universal Design) • Accessible PDF files are searchable • Accessible videos allow ESL students access to the printed word if they are still working on verbal skills • Accessible Word documents are easier for you to change in the future thanks to style sheets

  10. Other Reasons for Accessibility (Continued) • It is necessary for every individual to have access to content. It is our right. Being a person with a disability is a protected class that we will all enter as we age, if not sooner.

  11. Add Accessibility from the Start! • It is far easier to build accessible content when you start putting content together than to add in accessibility as a retrofit once a student needs accommodations. • All students deserve content in a timely manner; don’t let students fall behind while making files accessible. • The next PowerPoint will define accessibility

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