8 Reasons Information Professionals Should Care About Accessibility
Outlines how using technology to create accessible course materials, presentations, events, documents, web sites and online resources relates directly to the central mission of both the University and information technology.
IT Accessibility: What Campus Leaders Have to Say
University presidents and IT leaders discuss how ensuring accessibility benefits all stakeholders in higher education.
Below are links to local and Internet resources to help your organization ensure it uses technology appropriately and provides accessibility.
PowerPoint presentation: Raising accessibility awareness and email overview
Modify this presentation as needed for use within your organization to raise awareness of communications accessibility, explain and demonstrate why accessibility is important and expected, and get started by learning ten tips to make email more accessible. Be sure to edit the last slide to include your organization’s accessibility contacts.
Accessible classrooms, presentations and events
- Learning Environments and MediaLearning Environments and Media Production (LEMP)--Disability Services Production (LEMP)--Disability Services
ITS’ LEMP group is SU’s hub for accessible classroom and public presentations, including real-time captioning of events, sign language interpretation services, assisted listening devices, and media captioning.
Accessible desktop documents
Microsoft Office 2010 provides easy-to-use tools and online resources for ensuring documents fit basic usability standards.
Apple maintains a listing of first- and third-party accessibility tools and guidelines for its OS X operating system.
The ADOD project offers step-by-step accessibility guides for many office programs, including Windows, Mac and Google Drive software
Accessible PDF documents
WebAIM defines PDF accessability and provides directions on how to convert documents to PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional
A step by step guide that provides the basics for creating and optimizing PDF documents so they can be more accessible
Accessible websites and online resources
Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM)
WebAIM is a collection of articles that serves as an online primer for Web accessibility.
WAVE, by WebAIM, is a free tool for testing a website’s usability level for blind and hard-of-sight users.
W3C, the Internet authority over domain names, provides a long list of resources for building disability-friendly Web pages.
W3C also offers a specific set of guidelines for making the Web easier to browse, both for users with disabilities and users in general.
Total Validator is free tool for Windows, OSX and Linux for validating accessibility against the WCAG (1.0 and 2.0) and the US Section 508 standards. Also validates HTML against the W3C Markup Standards, checks for broken links, and spell checks in several languages.
Acquisition of Electronic or Information Technology Services or Products
ITS requires that any electronic or information technology services or products for which they contract comply with standards for Web-based intranet and internet information and applications set forth in 36 C.F.R. § 1194.22 of the Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards.
Disability Cultural Center (DCC)
Syracuse University has established the Disability Cultural Center (DCC) to coordinate campus-wide social, educational, and cultural activities on disability issues for students, faculty, staff, and community members with and without disabilities.
Check out their new inclusive events planning guide, available for download as an accessible PDF!
Committed to Inclusion and Accessibility
Syracuse University values diversity, is committed to inclusion and seeks to provide access for all people, including those with disabilities. Visit our new website for the latest information on disability and accessibility at SU.
Questions or comments? Contact ITS help@syr.edu or (315) 443-2677