Implementing System-wide Web Accessibility Jonathan Whiting Improving Digital Access on the College & University Campus August 25, 2011

GOALS efforts 1.Gaining top-level support for institutional web accessibility. 2.Creating a campus-wide accessibility committee. 3.Benchmarking institutional web accessibility with an eye toward continuous improvement. 4.Gaining buy-in from faculty and staff; 5.Understanding how web accessibility may tie into regional accreditation.

GOALS Consortium (or what I call the “NASCAR slide”)

The need for the GOALS project 1.Successful adoption of accessibility requires a knowledge of technical as well as strategic accessibility. 2.There are many resources relating to technical accessibility, but very few for strategic accessibility. 3.There is little (if any) data about the real cost of institutional accessibility. 4.Institutions need solutions, not more problems.

GOALS model for reform 1.Make a Choice 2.Make the Case 3.Make a Plan 4.Make it Happen

1. Make a Choice How GOALS can help Presentations (like this one) Action Paper for Higher Education Administrators Handouts for recruitment

1. Make a Choice Lessons learned As accessibility gains ground, consider adding more than one person, or splitting the work. An accessibility champion can become an accessibility tyrant. What happens if that champion moves on?

2. Make the Case How GOALS can help Action Paper Resources demonstrating how web accessibility may tie into regional accreditation Templates to help create an accessibility proposal Case studies

2. Make the Case Lessons learned Ground-level adoption is important. Look to your University’s mission statement. Most people want to do the right thing. Include people with disabilities when making the pitch. If avoiding legal trouble is the primary motivator, compliance is usually the goal.

3. Make a Plan How GOALS can help Templates to help you form your committee, create a policy, create an action plan Best Practice Indicators for Web Accessibility in Higher Education Benchmarking & Planning Tool (Coming next month)

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Screenshot of GOALS benchmarking and planning tool assessment of Indicator 2: Planning and Implementation. Displays progress of team members and progress on the process 14

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3. Make a Plan Lessons learned Web Accessibility is often passed around, but sometimes it’s because no one knows where to put it. Universities love committees. Include key players frequently, other stakeholders occasionally.

4. Make it Happen How GOALS can help Templates and resources added regularly Coming Soon:  Communities of Practice  Resources for Content Creators

4. Make it Happen Lessons learned Institutional Accessibility is not easy (or everyone would do it). You won’t get it all right the first time. There are more of us than we think. We need to work together.

GOALS is seeking: Participating institutions to use the Self-Study tool. First 50 institutions receive a free Premium tool account. Institutions to take part in our cost study. Contact me:

Thank you ! More information on the GOALS project- Additional web accessibility resources-