UC Systemwide Electronic Accessibility Efforts
The UC IT Leadership Council (ITLC) formed the Electronic Accessibility Leadership Team (EALT) in April 2010 to provide systemwide strategic direction for initiatives to enhance the accessibility to University electronic resources for all individuals and particularly those with disabilities. The EALT seeks to promote the sharing of best-practices and tools among the campuses, and build collaborative relationships with the California State University system and other institutions to advance common goals.
Each campus has at least one representative participating in the EALT.
The Problem
Persons with disabilities (visual, auditory or motor impairments, among others) often use adaptive hardware or software to access computers and other sources of electronic information. The way the electronic data is created, coded and presented can make it impossible for adaptive technology to interpret.
Governmental Response
In 2001, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act created standards for Federal agencies and contractors, defining 16 parameters for accessible software and Web design. The text of the Section 508 rules can be found under “Section 508 Law” at www.section508.gov . The documents are under review, with possible revisions in 2013.
Industry Guidelines
The W3C has also released Version 2.0 of its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 . These address technologies beyond Section 508 (Javascript, PDF, Flash, among others).
Practical Implementation
The EALT has created Accessible Web Design Resources to collect best practices for Web designers. For those already familiar with basic accessibility concepts, the Design Tips and Technical Topics pages will be the most immediately useful.
Developers and project managers may refer to Guidelines for Content Developers
Work is also underway on Procurement and Product
Accessibility .
Accessibility Testing Ssoftware
UC has a contract for the AMP software from SSB Bart Group. This allows automated tests and monitoring of large websites, as well as creation of detailed status reports. Any UC web professional may sign up for an account. Details are at: AMP Web Accessibility Testing Tool .
Support at UCLA
For demonstrations of adaptive technologies, discussion of Web accessibility techniques, and accessibility reviews of existing sites, please contact the UCLA Disabilities and Computing Program .