The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that UC Santa Cruz, as an educational instutition, make its programs, services, and activities accessible to, and usable by, people with disabilities. When faculty and staff use the Internet to provide information, they are required to make that information accessible to those using adaptive technology.
Systemwide Efforts
Efforts are currently underway at the systemwide level to improve the accessibility of UC web content. The UC Accessibility in the Electronic Environment initiative includes a web site called Designing Accessible Web Sites to help web developers understand how to make their sites accessible, and to point them to useful tools and resources.
Additional Resources
- Section 508 Guidelines: The federal government maintains a web site to educate the public about Section 508.
- "Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users with Disabilities" is a usability study done with people who use adaptive technology. UCSC's Division of Business and Administrative Services has purchased a site license, allowing campus constituents only to download the PDF as needed.
- Business and Administrative Services (BAS) has also purchased a site license allowing campus constituents only to take WebAIM's Online Accessibility Training. The training has three different tracks (web administrators, web developers, and those who train web developers), and is very thorough. If you are interested in using this resource, please contact Susan Willats (willats@ucsc.edu) for login and password information.
- The World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative page has the most updated information on guidelines and resources for creating accessible web pages. They are the authority for creating standards on web accessibility, and have a robust and frequently updated website.
- Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM) is an organization dedicated to improving the accessibility of online learning opportunities for all people.
- The Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative offers information and technical assistance on implementing Section 508 (including a checklist for making websites accessible).