[Athen] FW: A Clear Standard for Access to Instruction

[Ron Stewart]

More on the latest on the legal front.

 

Ron

 

From: AHEAD [mailto:ahead at ahead.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 2:06 PM
To: ron at altformatsolutions.com
Subject: A Clear Standard for Access to Instruction

 

 
<http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?t=1114276064353.0.1102789713501.2338&ts=S0926&r=3
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July 24, 2013


		


 


Yesterday the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement agreement
with Louisiana Tech University resolving a complaint about inaccessible
course materials.  The DOJ's summary of the obligation sends a clear
message:

 

"...the University must implement a policy that requires the deployment of
accessible technology and course content in the University setting. To that
end, the University shall conduct a review of the accessibility of its
technology and instructional materials and shall ensure that,from the
effective date of and consistent with the Settlement Agreement, all
technology, including websites, instructional materials and online courses,
and other electronic and information technology for use by students or
prospective students, is accessible." (Paragraph 13(a), [emphasis added]).

 

A look at other recent collaborative enforcement efforts by the DOJ and The
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights clarifies the statutory
standard for "accessible". The Department of Education' agreement with the
South Carolina Technical College System last March stated 

 

  "'Accessible' means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity
to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy
the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective
and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use.
The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as
fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability. Although
this might not result in identical ease of use compared to that of persons
without disabilities, it still must ensure equal opportunity to the
educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal
treatment in the use of such technology."   (Resolution Agreement South
Carolina Technical College System OCR Compliance Review No. 11-11-6002,
[emphasis added])

 

Alongside the Federal enforcement efforts is the settlement brokered with UC
Berkeley by Disability Rights Advocates last May.  This Berkeley settlement
establishes clear timelines and responsibilities for producing accessible
alternatives including faculty selecting material, students requesting
alternatives, and production by disability resources. 

 

These agreements do not have the precedential authority of a Supreme Court
decision but do provide a clear understanding of how the enforcement
agencies interpret our obligation under the ADA.  This is particularly true
when you consider trends defined by the 2010 joint Dear Colleague letter on
electronic readers, the 2011 Accessible Instructional Media Commission's
report, and the proposed development of web accessibility standards on the
DOJ's Fall Regulatory Agenda.  

 

What does this mean for our campuses?   

*	Have a plan.  

*	Campuses should review their current use of technology, web based
tools, and information for accessibility.  
*	Develop a strategic plan for access that is integrated with your
institution's overall technology plan and includes time frames for replacing
inaccessible technology and opportunities to reprioritize based on ongoing
feedback from students with print disabilities.
*	Identify workarounds, accommodations, and supports, including the
use of readers/scribes when no alternative will work to address short term
gaps.

*	Refine Policy 

*	Identify a functional standard for access (substantially equivalent
ease of use in the same place and at the same time as other students). 
*	Identify a technical standard for access (Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines provide good
benchmarks).
*	Develop purchasing requirements.
*	Clarify alternative media responsibilities and time lines.

*	Train 

*	Administrators
*	Faculty
*	Students

References:

 

Louisiana Tech University (Department of Justice) 

              Settlement Agreement:

 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-hDyoHAD6AGAaHwXFdULw0NkT46AyhqHQJm
0GUdrpxeK7-UUhcNVDDeyHc6oRu6uKghgLTmV2rNkYve-74vu-EeZIReRbFcnnumwJ8CG7mMXovP
B-MlL-R_jeZ1in2BFqc=> http://www.ada.gov/louisiana-tech.htm 

South Carolina Technical College System (Department of Education's Office
for Civil Rights)

Resolution Letter:
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-hygiKDVA2pNf5FNEvfdq4Y2j_jEAi8_7ax
AVHYtC-7gxOlmIiqwbr04D-aZsvtY0K1578X6NpfBDem5u6-8_MEF-EwJJbkOVNWAzWsTFikaacz
vOc2YWzUpZKbPScf5QJoOM31DI0QxcAT6uPMy_3GeRvbRZ7ig-UKbHXkcweCf9HLp56S0DQ_Rkx5
AS4rlB8=>
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/11116002-a.doc

Agreement:
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-jYZCTVf5BBrGuHGhziDYTpVMG4VcS-nccw
hSlB2chxJg1HBGhPgbwKCyhlLb22u9qx53nwPqX9Uz4AuODR2o6_Wu9KWsLHokPjnKPfjPzAgtXM
J_SB1WMxr4y8YGdqeUlu72cU2lc0hv14L--t1ZPbDMllIjbBAaVcDIiTfJRmw7sXXKZP8CuDGFMg
-hnBoTI=>
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/11116002-b.pdf

 

University of California, Berkeley (Disability Rights Advocates)

Settlement:

 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-hN4jnyGFECDuNtqRPJSbTrIppidlzjiice
o3kjNNVPY-fnBHTOTUgv9DAyFc2SsU9d1_P39FyXe9SN4qDXJJ-vNxx0-Xh7nxJ5W2Tr1Z9fjHuv
MXMbd49TbRm52Q6E3eHvwMcbOK8My8GYX1tBsT5nk7sSo37kEx4np5h0NaYPJaIDmXPd4M4y>
http://dralegal.org/sites/dralegal.org/files/casefiles/settlement-ucb.pdf 

Fact Sheet:

 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-i_w-_dBGfdPc5aahLpHJ1DnOZVlaACQ0OV
5d248z6IzryKgib2HIqpAidFRwnnYLscYZMgCxV0nvVe9N7uiTLaDzPv8FSFAoXuVxQ7H4uwbnhs
wvgnQfxWD7ZB1AG6v8jJSR8xlIhKMG2xm6Z7-2h9K37ulI6nGofF54yEG20eD831O3H0tAUu>
http://dralegal.org/sites/dralegal.org/files/casefiles/factsheet_ucb.pdf 

 

Joint Dear Colleague Letter: Electronic Book Readers (Departments of Justice
& Education)

Letter:
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-hViiPyrv56fbaMDyWiKYiZ8cii8X_VwkUu
fRXTNhU2r-zU96mA6YFtAmOaQZYocXXvuo3KZT3P1YD3XmwPqoTT_i8m9HeZ0vaRQNF8ofiNKXaf
f8jMzWhBbY6q3lpgDAoK516Ta7DdDb5cxlUwrfZyhiBi_uDjREUEVUrdfy5YnocNUFiHukO9_Zgf
_RCjBP8=>
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html 

Q&A:
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-h8eMCi5eXIlcJ69Awus2d9wvvYdLM-pIK-
zWpKMuv-6fZqEO5A3NZmHwgVXsDGxYV_QwL7_sqUPLIeuNRt53WisluFvlKSmN-tjz5Bm2tKTDO8
Tq5Y1ORlscBWQOMj7vx3e0HekV_XR7atFcwnPen2fYE97rAAXVnvNuOY-JfvSigDqizkjBvi>
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/504-qa-20100629.pdf 

 

Accessible Instructional Materials Commission Report:

 
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0010RYVfew7z-j1NE4DZsGlSk0TMXUMKFv0G66UdH9UX-oe
KsB-x9j3Xd-6qrFBJHZ48uZE3eiO3VPifA5IOBleClX8GjZXp7HnpSpSngynLmvqgRHW2Qi4Tc8h
cqyKfY6PZhfzJ7e4w82-YU3krZKZn1W_fuzQ170H8xUkSWKHJG5sA8-Y0Ohxuw==>
http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/aim/publications.html

 

 


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