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ESF EIT Accessibility Team Appointed
Dear ESF Community,
Interim Provost David Newman has appointed Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Officers to create and manage implementation of ESF's Accessibility Strategy.
Over the past several years, numerous colleges and universities have faced complaints and investigations regarding the inaccessibility of their online environments for individuals with disabilities. In addition, over the past two years, the federal Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has investigated many SUNY campuses, including ESF, for noncompliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, relying heavily on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), though WCAG has not been formally adopted.
In accord with the new SUNY EIT Policy, Provost Newman designated point persons to create an EIT Accessibility Plan by June 1, with certain minimum standards in the areas of websites and software, digital content, classroom technology and design, libraries and procurement—to support compliance with Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The individuals appointed to lead the development of the plans are the following:
ESF EIT Officer:
Dr. Malika Carter, Chief Diversity Officer
Web Accessibility:
Mr. Dominick Manno, Programmer-Analyst, djmanno@esf.edu
Watch SUNY EIT Accessibility Open Forum (Youtube Video)
Digital Content Accessibility:
Ms. Julia Allis, Digital Media Associate &
Mr. Brandon Murphy, Coordinator Teaching and Learning Center
Watch SUNY EIT Accessibility Open Forum (Youtube Video)
Classroom Accessibility:
Mr. Christopher Baycura, Manager, ITS Media, Media Producer/Production Manager
Watch SUNY EIT Accessibility Open Forum (Youtube Video)
Library Accessibility:
Mr. Matthew Smith, Director of College Libraries
Watch SUNY EIT Accessibility Open Forum (Youtube Video)
Purchasing Accessibility:
Ms. Lisa Campagna, Associate Director of Business Affairs
Watch EIT Accessibility Open Forum (Youtube Video)
A number of the actions to be outlined in the plan have already been incorporated into your existing workflow and/or are handled by accessibility features in available software.
Comment Period: Recommendations to the EIT appointees will be accepted via email to InclusiveExcellence@ESF.edu through August 24, 2020.
Two important definitions that will guide our accessibility planning are as follows:
"Accessible" means that individuals with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same time frame as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use.
"Electronic and information technology" or "EIT" includes information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, the Internet and intranet websites, content delivered in digital form, electronic books and electronic book reading systems, search engines and databases, learning management systems, classroom technology and multimedia, personal response systems ("clickers"), and office equipment such as classroom podiums, copiers and fax machines. It also includes any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, creation, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Malika Carter
Chief Diversity Officer