Accessibility: Unlocking Our Potential

[John Locke]

*In 2019, the National Association of the Deaf *announced a landmark
settlement
<https://dredf.org/2019/11/27/landmark-settlement-with-harvard-to-improve-online-accessibility/>with
Harvard University, "to Improve Online Accessibility."

The lawsuit alleged that Harvard's internet-based resources, including
certain audio recordings and videos billed "as accessible to learners
throughout the world," used inaccurate captions or lacked them altogether.

The settlement addressed the most extensive arrangement of online
accessibility prerequisites in advanced education, and guaranteed that
Harvard would provide high-quality captioning services for online content.

Estimates from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders
<https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing>
indicate that approximately 15% of all adults in the UNited States have
some trouble hearing. In round numbers, nearly 10,000,000 persons are hard
of hearing and close to 1,000,000 are functionally deaf. These numbers
include our neighbors and fellow citizens, many of whom work and study at
institutions like SUNY Plattsburgh.

*Our April 22 installment *will explore ways that we can work together to
ensure that our students and colleagues can access information regardless
of potential hearing deficits.

*Be sure to watch the Faculty Digest* every other Friday for our bi-monthly
articles, updates, and activities. And do feel free to reach out to me for
more information and resources on accessibility, or to learn more about the
work of our committee.

Regards,
John Locke, Ph.D.
EIT Accessibility Officer

Yasmina El Gendy
TEL Intern
Majors in Accounting and Management Information Systems
Minor in Finance
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