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Digital Accessibility

DRAFT

The “Why” of Digital Accessibility

We strive to ensure websites, course sites, videos, social media, and other digital content can be used and equitably accessed by people with a wide range of abilities. This means we work to ensure our digital content are designed, developed, and written to be accessible and usable. Making digital content accessible is essential for people with disabilities, helpful for everyone, and supports our mission, vision, and values by fostering a diverse, inclusive, and engaged community. Digital accessibility readiness is not about hitting a single deadline. It is about building the capability to consistently deliver inclusive experiences.

Inaccessible information technology (IT) and digital content negatively impacts people with a variety of disabilities, including sensory impairments, mobility or orthopedic impairments, specific learning disabilities, attention deficits, autism spectrum disorders, speech impairments, health impairments, and psychiatric conditions.

But this is more than a vision or values, it is the law. The information on these webpages provides guidance to Seattle College administrators, faculty, and staff in order to fulfill our commitment to equal access to both IT and digital content. We all share the responsibility.

Seattle Colleges District Policy 241 affirms our commitment to providing access to services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. This commitment includes access to IT and digital content that Seattle Colleges develops, procures, or uses, such as websites, software, hardware, and media.
 

Proactive Steps and Resources

Since 2024, Seattle Colleges has taken significant steps to meet these legal requirements, including:

  • Providing IT software integration tools to employees including:
    • NVDA screen reader
    • Color Contrast –  an accessibility color check tool
    • Adobe Acrobat with accessibility check tools for PDF accessibility checking and remediation
    • MathType – a tool that puts equations into an accessible format that can be read correctly by a screen reader
  • Added Drupal Accessibility Checker – a tool that flags potential accessibility issues for attention – to all college websites
  • Added Ally – an accessibility tool that checks course content and files uploaded by instructors for accessibility issues – to Canvas, Seattle Colleges' Learning Management System (LMS)  
  • Dedicated the work of a web team staff member to focus on ensuring webpage structure and navigation are accessible
  • Training completion of SBCTC Micro-Courses on creating accessible content by employees working with communications and websites across our colleges  
  • Built Digital Accessibility Resource Hub in Canvas / SharePoint Auditing Site
  • Offering training and support for staff and faculty on an ongoing basis
  • Established a districtwide Title II Accessibility Committee, which continues to hold regular meetings