1. Policy 188 & Talking with Administrators about Website Accessibility
Part 2 is a reference to my prior visit, in August 2014
Terrill Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
University of Washington

2. The following is an encore presentation, first given on October 12, 2017 to 80 top administrators at Portland State University, including the President, President’s Cabinet, Deans, and Department Chairs

3. “…leads the way to an equitable and sustainable future through academic excellence, urban engagement, and expanding opportunity for all.”
Mission Statement
Part 2 is a reference to my prior visit, in August 2014

4. Can everyone access your online resources?

5. Student Photo #1
Jennifer, public relations

6. Student Photo #2
Wesley, psychology.

7. Student Photo #3
Nicole, Computer Science

8. Ability on a continuum
See Hear Walk Read print Write with pen or pencil Communicate verbally Tune out distraction etc.

9. Technological Diversity

10. Accessibility Metaphor: Building with many steep steps

11. Example: Text with no structure
Introduction to Physics Course Syllabus Textbook Our sole text for this course will be Introduction to Physics, Second Edition, authored by the instructor. Course Objectives to offer students exposure to basic principles of Physics to provide students with rich, thought-provoking discussions during lecture sessions to provide students with experiential learning opportunities during laboratory sessions. Class Schedule Week Topic Reading Assignment 1 Course Introduction Chapter 1 2 Inertia, equilibrium, kinematics Chapters Newton’s laws, vectors, momentum, energy Chapters Matter, elasticity, scaling Chapters Wave kinematics, sound, electricity, magnetism, induction Chapter Light, reflection and refraction, emission Chapters Review, final exam Grades Grades will be assigned on a ten point scale (90 to 100 is an A, 80 to 89 is a B, etc.). Homework, exams, and projects will be weighted as follows: Homework Exams Projects 1 2 Final 1 2 Final 15% 15% 15% 20% 10% 10% 15% Ce programme es également disponible en français sur demande.
Example: Text with no structure
How many class objectives are there?
What is the reading assignment for Week 5?
What % of your final grade is the Final Exam?

12. Example: Syllabus with structure

13. Standards HTML has always had accessibility features
HTML 4 added many more (1999)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 (1999)
WCAG 2.0 (2008)
Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)

14. WCAG 2.0: 62 Success Criteria
Level A — 26 success criteria
Level AA — 13 success criteria
Level AAA — 23 success criteria

15. WCAG 2.0: 62 Success Criteria
Level A (26)
Alt text on images
Structural markup
Accessible with keyboard (#nomouse)
Captions on video, transcripts on audio
Level AA (13)
Minimum color contrast
Visible focus for keyboard users
Audio descriptions on video
Level AAA (23)

16. I See What You Did There!

17. What I Did There Tied accessibility into the mission statement
Shared personas (accessibility is about real people)
Redefined disability (not a separate group, includes everyone)
Provided an example that everyone can relate to (a document)
Offered the technical solution (standards)

18. Other Things I Might Have Done
Talk about how everyone benefits from accessibility (e.g., captions)
Captions benefit non-English natives
Captions benefit people listening to complex vocabulary or difficult-to-understand instructors
Captions make video searchable
Captions make interactive transcripts possible
Talk about specific legal requirements (e.g., Washington State Policy 188)

19. Speaking of Policy 188…

20. Accessibility is not just about Compliance
“The University of Washington (UW) strives to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the same services and content that are available to people without disabilities, including services and content made available through the use of information technology (IT).  IT procured, developed, maintained, and used by the UW should provide substantially similar functionality, experience, and information access to individuals with disabilities as it provides to others. Examples of IT covered by this policy include web sites, software systems, electronic documents, videos, and electronic equipment such as information kiosks, telephones, and digital signs.”

21. Compliance is not just about Policy 188
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Numerous resolutions & settlements with higher education institutions

22. So what does Policy 188 offer?
Tangible action items, with deadlines
“This policy and the associated standard are intended to assist the State of Washington in meeting its obligations under state and federal law”
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

23. Simplified, Revised Policy 188
All covered technology must be accessible
If #1 isn't possible, the system or content owner is responsible to provide equivalent access.
Agencies must identify an IT Accessibility Coordinator (by June 30, 2017)
Agencies must develop policy and processes to support and ensure compliance with this policy (by June 30, 2017)
Adopted May 11, 2017; Approved September 12, 2017

24. Simplified, Revised Policy 188
Agencies must develop, implement and maintain an Accessibility Plan that identifies how the agency will ensure new covered technologies are accessible and the plan for making existing covered technologies accessible (initial plan by June 30, 2017)
Adopted May 11, 2017; Approved September 12, 2017

25. Agency Plans Must Contain:
A list of prioritized non-accessible covered technology
Recommended alternative access methods
Actions being taken to correct the issue
Adopted May 11, 2017; Approved September 12, 2017

26. Our Progress at the UW Policy Statement Guidelines Checklist
High-level, difficult to change
Guidelines
Includes implementation details for policy
Definitions, scope, standards, where to get help
Also high-level, but easier to change
Checklist
The nuts and bolts on how to make IT accessible
A living document, changes regularly
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

27. UW Processes (1 of 5) "to support and ensure compliance" Support
Provide internal support
Individual consultation on web accessibility
Involvement with major procurement decisions
Outreach and support to site owners, especially those using SiteImprove
Outreach to video owners to educate on captioning options; a central captioning fund distributed as a grant
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

28. UW Processes (2 of 5) "to support and ensure compliance" Support
Invest in professional development on accessibility
CSUN, San Diego, March
Accessing Higher Ground, Colorado, November
Webinars from AHEAD, IAAP, 3PlayMedia, etc.
Courses on Lynda.com
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

29. UW Processes (3 of 5) "to support and ensure compliance" Support
Empower the Community
– mailman list & quarterly meetups
"Explore with Hadi" – informal meetups for reviewing websites and applications; peer review
IT Accessibility Liaisons – campus-wide representatives
Quarterly meetings
Empowered with specific responsibilities (e.g., assisting with inventory/audit)
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

30. UW Processes (4 of 5) Ensuring compliance
SiteImprove enterprise license
Blackboard Ally (ally.org)
YouTube Caption Auditor (YTCA)
PDF Accessibility Tool (PAT) Still in development
An internal database of IT Products
900+ products and growing
VPATs, links to vendor or 3rd party resources
Uploaded documents from internal reviews
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

31. UW Processes (5 of 5)
"Ensuring new covered technologies are accessible" (i.e., procurement)
Accessibility language in all applicable RFPs
Must document level of WCAG 2.0 Level AA support
Three modes of documentation accepted:
Third party review from an accessibility consultant
VPAT 2.0 (based on WCAG 2.0; not 2001 Section 508 standards)
Our own IT Accessibility Checklist
Documented procedure for evaluating bidders' responses to RFP
Accessibility language (with roadmap and timeline) in the negotiated contract
VPAT developed by Information Technology Industry Council

32. For More Information…
UW Accessible Technology