Accessibility: Unlocking Our Potential

[John Locke]

In this week's post we discuss the Syracuse University lawsuit over failing
to meet federal accessibility standards.

On August 18th, 2021, *The Daily Orange* published an article
<https://dailyorange.com/2021/08/lawsuit-syracuse-university-website-federal-accessibility-standards/#:~:text=The%20lawsuit%2C%20filed%20in%20New,impaired%20from%20accessing%20the%20site.>
covering a
Syracuse University student's legal claim asserting that the University's
website neglects to fulfill federal accessibility standards.

The claim specifically asserts that SU has neglected to make its site
compatible with computer screen-reader programs, thus denying people who
are visually impaired from having access to the content.

According to the suit filed in United States District Court, Syracuse
University is required to have a certified expert to help with working on
the accessibility of its site and to guarantee all representatives
associated with site and content improvement take part in web accessibility
training.

It also would require SU to post a web accessibility policy on its site and
include email, instant messenger, and toll-free telephone number contact
points to report issues related to accountability.

Fortunately, the lawsuit brought to light the difficulties that visually
impaired individuals face, and Syracuse University has been working to
resolve the problematic accessibility issues.

*SUNY Plattsburgh is committed to ensuring our web content is accessible to
everyone. *From the time we first launched an integrated campus web
presence, we have followed the highest standards, as established by the WCAG
<https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/>.

It's never been easy. Thanks go out to our skilled and knowledgeable team
of web professionals, led by Sarah Cunningham, associate director of web
strategy.

The EIT Accessibility Committee also plays an important role in improving
accessibility all over campus. Over the summer, committee members and
EIT/TEL interns will be consolidating all accessibility-related content on
our website for all our constituent groups under a central section for easy
access.

Be sure to watch for the Faculty Digest every other Friday for our
bi-monthly articles, updates, and activities. For more information about
our committee and the work in which we are engaged, email Dr. John Locke at
jlock004 at plattsburgh.edu.

John Locke, Ph.D.
EIT Accessibility Officer

Yasmina Elgendy
TEL/EIT Intern
Majors in Accounting and Management Information Systems
Minor in Finance
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