A journey to accessibility
How Temple University is implementing an
Accessible Information and Technology
initiative university wide
Barbara Dolhansky
Associate Vice President
Paul Paire
Executive Director
About Temple University
• Based in Philadelphia, one of Pennsylvania’s state-related research
Universities, along with the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State
• 37,000 students and 5,700 employees
• 17 schools and colleges including 8 professional
schools (including Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy and Podiatry)
• 140 bachelor’s degree programs
• 126 master’s degree programs
• International campuses in Tokyo, Rome, and
London with programs in China, Korea, Greece,
Israel and more
• 1400 students registered with Disability Student
Resources
Technology accessibility and the ADA
• “Colleges and universities have specific legal obligations to
provide students, faculty, and staff with disabilities the
same benefits, programs, and services.”
- Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights
U.S. Department of Education
• For the Dept. of Justice and the Dept. of Education, their
major compliance interest and enforcement interest for
the foreseeable future is access to technology.
• College and Universities need to get a good handle on this
issue and their role in providing accessible technology.
• The problem is here now, and it is not going away.
Why Now?
• Greater reliance on technology in education.
– Course management systems (Blackboard, Moodle, ANGEL.)
– Smart classrooms with advanced audio visual technology.
– On-line administrative processes.
– Dramatic increase in on-line learning.
– Growing adoption of electronic textbooks and eReaders in
classrooms.
– Proliferation of iPad’s.
– Growing use of Google Apps.
• As technology gets more complex compliance is becoming
critical.
• Proliferation of lawsuits.
How to change an organization
Get people motivated
Motivation for Executives
•Desire to be fair & equitable in delivering services
•30 complaints or settlements (and one statement of
interest) involving institutions of Higher Education
Current litigation in Higher Ed
# of complaints brought by:
# types & of ADA issues raised:
10
6
5
4
4
2
2
1
1
8
6
6
4
4
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
National Federation of the Blind
Department of Education
Department of Justice
American Council of the Blind
Student Lawsuit
Employee Lawsuit
Reading Rights Coalition
Disability Rights Advocate
Texas Civil Rights Project
Accommodations
eReaders
Physical Spaces (ADAAG)
Clickers
Policy
Websites
Library
application process
Course Management System
Course Registration
Google Apps
Instructional Materials
Instructor’s Behavior
Online course content
Procurement
ATMs
Electronic Textbook
Food Service
Self Audit
• Hired outside consultant to review:
– Websites & Web applications (sample size=15)
– Classrooms / Learning Spaces
– Computer Labs
• Results: we were on par with other institutions
that hadn’t addressed accessibility
Our Discovery
• Temple University found out we need to address:
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Overall accessibility policy for information and technology
Computer labs (128 computer labs & 3,648 workstations)
Instructional materials
Learning spaces/classrooms (~700 including labs/studios)
Library
Procurement of technology
Web based content
Web based systems
Pull together a guiding team
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Accessible Tech Compliance
Committee
Chair (CIO)
1 Staff (Executive director)
4 Faculty representatives
1 School / College technical (Director of Information Tech)
1 Computer Services (Associate Vice President)
1 Creative Services (Associate Vice President)
1 Disability Resources and Services (Associate Vice President)
1 Human Resources (Associate Vice President)
1 Provost Office (Vice Provost)
1 Library (Senior Associate University Librarian)
1 University Counsel (Associate University Counsel)
1 Facilities (Director of Architectural Services)
Project/Working groups
Accessible
Tech
Compliance
Committee
Project cochairs
Accessibility
Liaisons
Project
Director
Instructional
Materials &
Captioning
Training &
Accessibility
Web Site
Web Review &
Audit
Web
Liaisons
University
-Wide
Assistive
Technology
Online
Learning
Library
Administrative
Systems
Procurement
Accessibility Liaisons
• An individual within each school or college,
responsible for coordinating the accessibility
remediation and compliance efforts for their
respective area:
– Establishes priorities of remediation
– Evaluates accessibility during the procurement process
– Works with budget unit head for funding accessibility
initiatives
– Attends accessibility meetings and training
– Provides annual reports on the individual school or,
colleges, progress towards remediation
Develop a vision and strategy
Vision = University policy
• We will be accessible
• The person responsible for providing the technology or
information is responsible for making it accessible
• If it can’t be made accessible we should consider removing it
• Accessible Technology Compliance Committee which is
empowered to effectuate change and is responsible for:
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Setting standards & guidelines
Setting Timetables
Enforcement
Granting exceptions
Scope & Budget Planning
• Initial assessment
– Hire a consultant
• Instructional materials
– Tools for DIYers
– Farming out remediation
• Learning spaces & Computer
Labs
– Software
– Hardware
– Remediation of physical spaces
• Library and it’s components
– Online catalog
– Journals
– Alt Format for Course reserves
• Multimedia
– Captioning/Transcripts
– Audio Descriptions/Transcripts
– Captioning of live & live
streaming of events
• Web
– Web auditing solution
– web based systems
(replace/fix?)
– Tools for testing
– Accessibility Q&A staff as part
of the software development
lifecycle
Survey other institutions
• Join Athen & EDUCAUSE’s “ITACCESS” listservs
• Attend conferences to learn from other
institutions
• Conference call with Cal State about how they
launched their initiative
• Talk with San Francisco State about their
procurement process
Working groups develop standards
• Web group
– Developed standards for web content
• WCAG 2.0 AA for internally developed/sponsored sites
• Section 508 for vendor controlled content
• Established deadlines for compliance
– Issued an RFP for a web auditing tool
• Assistive Technology group
– Developed standards for Computer labs
– Developed standards for Classrooms (evolved into Learning Spaces)
• Instructional Materials group*
– Started working on standards (abandoned in favor of how-tos)
– Developing checklists
*Need to get faculty involved in Instructional Materials workgroup
Learning space standards
• Worked with Disability Resources & Services to develop standards
• Standards address:
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ADAAG specifications (i.e. reach distances & kick space for podiums)
Software
Hardware (including control panels for lights & AV equipment)
Smart carts
• Types of spaces
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Auditorium/Theater space
Classrooms
Lecture hall
Seminar room
Studio space
• Developed a checklist based on the standards
Computer lab standards
• Standards address:
– ADAAG specifications
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Reach distances (counter/workstation heights, peripherals)
Route to workstation
Kick space for workstations
# of accessible workstations
Signs & documentation
Assistive Hardware (e.g. keyboards, trackballs, etc.)
Assistive Software
Pay to Print stations
Training student workers
Deadline for compliance
• Developed a checklist based on the standards
Purchasing
• Added language to purchasing policies requiring
procurement (purchase or otherwise) of
accessible information and technology
• Added language to RFP and contracts for
accessibility & remediation
• Developed an Exceptions Request form and
process workflow
Exceptions Request form
• Name & description of the product or resource
• Who is the audience? (And indicate approximately how many of each
type)
• What is the cost? (single year and/or recurring)
• Accessibility Roadmap? (and if so what's the timeline for compliance?)
• Describe how it is used.
• Is it currently in use?
• Which of the 508 category(ies) is relevant to the product?
• Is it required for coursework or job function?
• What exception category (specified in section 508) are you requesting?
• Explain why it meets the exception.
• Describe the reasonable accommodation you will provide.
Exception Request work flow
Initial
Request
Co-Chairs
Review
ATCC
Review
• Accessibility Liaison (or individual if there is no Accessibility
Liaison) submits request to paire@temple.edu
• Proof to make sure everything’s OK (may request clarification
on some items)
• Request sent to co-chairs for review
• Co-chairs may request clarification on some items
• Request sent to ATCC for review and decision
• ATCC may request clarification on some items
• Decision is sent to Accessibility Liaison (or initial requestor)
Library
• Investigating workflows to make scanned text and video course
reserves accessible.
• Conducting an year-long review of all 500 database platforms
and alerting vendors to compliance issues.
• Remediating their website.
• Library programmers working with vendors to make products
accessible:
– Ensemble video player.
– Contributed to Omeka (open source software for online exhibition;
very popular among digital humanists and cultural institutions.)
• Joining HathiTrust in large part to benefit print-disabled
individuals so they can have full-text access to the 11 million
books, journals, etc.
Instructional Materials
• Surveyed file types on Learning Management
System (Blackboard)
• Prioritized creation of checklists for the top four
types of content first:
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
PDF
• Incorporating Universal Design aspects in
checklists
Launching the initiative
• Communicate for buy in:
– CIO went on a road show presenting to:
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Council of Deans
Faculty Senate
Business Managers
Collegial assemblies
– Presentation consisted of:
• Overview of policy & project
• Who is responsible (content creator is responsible)
• We’re here to help & what we’ve done so far
Empower others to act
Launched Website
• Website launched to act as a clearinghouse for:
– Policies
– Guidelines
– How-to materials
– Quick tips
– Link to community
Empowerment – in many forms
• Had Deans appoint “Accessibility Liaisons” in
each school or college & formed committee
• Purchased a tool to allow users to audit their
own web content/sites/systems
• Distributed guidelines for computer labs and
smart classrooms
• Bi-weekly meetings with Accessibility Liaison
committee
Make it easy in the beginning
Quick wins
• Survey and remediate Computer Services’ centrally owned/managed
learning spaces & computer labs first:
– Largest and most heavily used labs were remediated first
– Received feedback on the standards and checklists to improve and clarify
requirements
– Early remediation allowed us to determine average remediation costs
• Update all control panels in smart classrooms owned by Computer
Services so they ‘talk’
• Launched new web accessibility standards at university wide web
designers meeting
• Creative Services works with contractors to make sure new websites are
accessible
• Hired a visually impaired student worker to assist with testing software
Stay with it
Sometimes things take time
• Instructional materials guidelines
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12 months and they’re still not finished
Reboot after 5 months
Switched from policy to checklists with How-To’s
Engaging larger group of faculty to assist with
determining how to tweak them for better adoption
• Web auditing software
– Had problems with end users logging into to the server
– Worked with vendor for patches
Annual Reports
• Understand how each school/college is
progressing via annual report. Addresses:
– Web sites
– Instructional materials
– Learning spaces
– Computer labs
Budget – how much was spent?
• Central funding covered $500,000 to date for:
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Remediating computer labs (central and schools/colleges)
Remediating learning spaces
Software to audit websites
Consulting and training
• Individual Schools/Colleges and Administrative Units
have spent $83,000 to date for:
– Remediating computer labs
– Captioning
Note: figures do not include personnel costs
Lessons learned
• Sometimes it takes a while to get a workable
solution
• Deadlines are good, but be flexible
• Communication is key (particularly top down)
• Spread out the work (form working groups)
• People want to help, make it easy for them
• Don’t come with all the answers, let people be a
part of the process
• Include representatives from facilities
• Be flexible (i.e. exceptions request form)
On your journey
• Enjoy the good
• Don’t let the bad drag you down
• Accessibility, like penguins,
isn’t always black and white
Questions?
Photo credits
• “Penguin” by cnystrom © 2005 and made available under a AttributionNoDerivs Generic 2.0 license
• “Penguin Group Small”, “Trekking across the Antarctic Ice and Snow”
and “JV-091112 4425” by Antarctica Bound © 2010 and made available
under a Attribution-NoDerivs Generic 2.0 license
• “Adelie Penguin Dive on Paulet Island”, Antarctica by nick_russill © 2007
and made available under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
Generic 2.0 license
• “Ice cased Adelie penguins after a blizzard at Cape Denison”
photograph by Frank Hurley provided by State Library of New South
Wales
• “King Penguin Chick at Salisbury Plain” by Liam Quinn © 2011 under a
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license