1. Accessibility Officers Panel
A discussion of Accessibility Officer approaches at three SUNY Schools
Mark Greenfield, University of Buffalo
Amy Berg, SUNY Cortland
Sean Moriarty, SUNY Oswego

2. Background 2017 - OCR complaints
Campus solutions & system solutions (Nazely Kurkjian)
May SUNY EIT Accessibility Report
SUNY EIT Policy imminent
Background
>24,000 SUNY students self-identify
Many do not self identify

3. #1 recommendation - we need to create a culture of inclusion - Everyone’s responsibility
Each campus needs an action plan
An Accessibility Officer for the campus is responsible for the establishment of the plan
SUNY EIT Report
EIT accessibility is the responsibility of all administrators, faculty, staff
Each campus should develop a Campus Accessibility Action Plan to promote ongoing, inclusive access for individuals with disabilities.
a.    The EIT Accessibility Officer is responsible for the establishment of a campus Plan.
b.    Core elements of this Plan must include addressing: Authority and Responsibility, Awareness, Design, Procurement, Monitoring Compliance, and Training.

4. Accessibility Offices Responsibilities
Development and oversight of the plan
Establish policies & procedures
Create communication plans to promote and support
Strategy to incorporate accessibility into electronic documents
Procure accessible EIT
Appropriate training programs
Accessibility Offices Responsibilities
The Chancellor and each campus president must designate and authorize an EIT Accessibility Officer to set the direction for ongoing digital accessibility efforts, including the development and oversight of the Campus Accessibility Action Plan. EIT Accessibility Officers must address a broad range of functional areas including academic, administrative, and research electronic concerns and needs. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
·         Establish policies and procedures that support shared institutional obligations to provide accessible online environments for visitors and campus community members.
·         Assign roles and responsibilities for achieving policy compliance.
·         Create communication plans to promote and support a campus-wide EIT accessibility program.
·         Develop a strategy to incorporate accessibility into the creation of electronic information resources.
·         Collaborate and extensively work with Purchasing and other campus departments to ensure acquisition of accessible EIT products and services.
·         Continuously monitor and assess existing and pending EIT.
·         Coordinate or devise training programs for campus personnel who create, purchase, and maintain EIT.

5. Where Accessibility Lives
Accessibility is Everyone's Job– but someone has to own it.
The largest percent of organizations have accessiblity under IT with only 3.1 putting it under it’s own organization and 11.4 under legal/compliance.

6. Web Accessibility Program at the University at Buffalo
Mark Greenfield Web Accessibility Officer

7. Overview
Reports through the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Distributed responsibilities (accessibility liaisons)
Accessible IT Working Group
Web Accessibility Policy (adopted in May, 2019)
Communications
Accessibility website
Accessibility blog
Accessibility listserv
Training

8. Investments Web Accessibility Office (EDI)
Full-time staff, student assistants, internships
Blackboard Ally
Siteimprove
184 sites, 238,851 pages, 187 users
JAWS Inspect
Deque University
In conversations with AudioEye, Deque, CommonLook, TPG

9. 3rd Party Software Specifically included in UB accessibility policy
Scope
Procurement process
Pcard purchases
Open-Source
Based on impact
RFP process for high impact purchases

10. Intake Evaluation Exception Request Step One Step Two Step Three
Determine Impact
Determine Accessibility
Low
Medium
High
Full Approval
Conditional Approval
Denial
Equally Effective Alternative Access

11. SUNY Cortland’s Journey

12. 2011 - Technology Accessibility Advisory Council (TAAC)
- Members from HR, Disability Services, Marketing (web), faculty, Instructional Design, Library, student from SGA, IT
- Charge – Technology accessibility at SUNY Cortland is an ongoing commitment, and it is through the cooperative effort of the entire campus community that we will improve technology access. The Technology Accessibility Advisory Council is an advisory group that will identify and produce guidelines that assist the College in making informed decisions about technology accessibility issues.
- Worked with the “willing”
- Created web, and PDF accessibility guidelines
2013 – hit a brick wall

13. Summer 2017 – DOE Complaint
-Now had the attention and support of President and Cabinet
-Resurrected TAAC concentrating on web accessibility
-purchased SiteImprove
-remediated web template and top 100 pages
-took down non-compliant 3rd party web applications (YouVisit, Live Stats)
-November 2017 – passed DOE remediation
“Never waste a good crisis” – kept going with Presidential support (monthly meetings with action items)
TAAC created web and social media accessibility guidelines and training for all content creators
January 2018 – President sent campus-wide stating that technology accessibility is the responsibility of everyone
got the attention of the faculty

14. Spring 2018 - More guidelines, training and support
Began reviewing all technology purchases for compliance (worked with Purchasing)
Spring More guidelines, training and support
- MS Office – added Accessibility Checker to top ribbon
- PDFs
- video captioning (purchased 200 captioning hours from Ensemble)
- Blackboard Ally
- All training and support done by existing staff
May 2018
- TAAC’s Technology Accessibility Policy passed by Cabinet
- Hired live captioning for Graduation, and IT developed a QR code on graduate name cards that when scanned inserted the student’s name on the live stream as they crossed the stage.

15. Fall 2018 Spring 2019 Summary - Overwhelming – must prioritize
- Teach them to fish! - Instructional Designers and Technology Trainer began training faculty to remediate and create accessible content for their courses. (started with the willing)
Spring 2019
- Launched faculty subcommittee to research and recommend tools to create accessible math equations (Recommendations report received May most of the tool recommendations are free)
- Purchased new OCR scanners for library (often easier to re-scan a document and make it a new PDF than to remediate it)
Summary
- Overwhelming – must prioritize
- Share the load - everyone is responsible
- Need Cabinet support

16. 2019 Accessibility Update
An overview of accessibility initiatives at SUNY Oswego
Rebecca Mushtare, Associate Professor, Graphic Design
Sean Moriarty, Chief Technology Officer

17. A Campus Coordinated Effort
Steering Committee
Website Team
Remediation Team
Workgroup on Accessible Teaching
Faculty Fellows
Digital Accessibility Analyst
A Campus Coordinated Effort
Steering Committee (Diversity Officer, President’s Office, Marketing & Communication (Web team), Accessibility Services, CTS, Student Services, Extended Learning, Faculty (Rebecca)
Website team is largely the web team, but it actually extends to everyone who works on the website. Everyone has responsibility in this effort and we will roll out an education program as we move to Drupal 8.
Remediation team includes Kate, Rick, Starr, IDers (Carrie & Theresda). Also CTS who has developed reports to help identify work that will be required. And the faculty who receive remediated materials.
…..
Rebecca
------
We have created a position to assist with this work. So lucky to have Kate Percival.

18. Drupal 8
Siteimprove
Training
Ownership of content
Website

19. Just in Time Remediation
Banner Report
Prioritization of courses
Proactively remediate rather than reactively accommodate
Actively improving/ refining process
Just in Time Remediation

20. Faculty & Campus Development
Accessibility Website oswego.edu/accessibility
Training
Breakout Sessions
Departmental Training
Write Ways Series
Templates
Faculty Fellows
May 16, Global Accessibility Day Event
Faculty & Campus Development

21. Accessibility Officers Takeaways
Needs leadership and advocates
Needs resources
Lots to do - prioritize
Accessibility Officers Takeaways
Someone has to lead it, and everyone has to be a part of it.
Needs advocates - from many parts of the campus.
Need people to break the misconceptions…. (20% of the world has a disability that makes it difficult to use the internet)
You have to put resources towards it
The quantity of work can be overwhelming. You have to set priorities that mitigate risk and looks to the future.
Where is the low hanging fruit???