Policy 559: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Section: Operating Policies
Sub-Section: Information Technology
Policy Number: 559
Subject: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility
Origin Date: March 3, 2017
Revision Date(s): March 3, 2017
Effective Date: March 3, 2017
Download the PDF File for Policy 559

559.1 PURPOSE

Utah State University is committed to providing equal access to all university programs, services and activities provided through electronic and information technology.

559.2 POLICY

Utah State University (USU) seeks to provide equal access to all university programs and services provided through electronic and information technology (EIT) according to University EIT Accessibility Standards, and applicable state and federal laws and University policies.

University EIT Accessibility Standards include provisions for grievance, remediation, and exemption procedures. The current version of the University EIT Accessibility Standards can be found online at: https://accessibility.usu.edu/policy/standards.

559.3 DEFINITIONS

  • Electronic and Information Technology includes information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information (1).
  • Accessible means that individuals with disabilities can independently access the equivalent electronic and information technology experiences available to individuals without disabilities.
  • Individual with a Disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.

(1) Section 508 Standards - United States Access Board." United States Access Board. N.p., 21 Dec. 2000. Web. 24 Oct. 2016

559.4 RESPONSIBILITIES

Equitable access is the responsibility of all University administrators, faculty, and staff and extends across the development, procurement, maintenance and use of all electronic and information technology across all University entities.

4.1 EIT Accessibility Steering Committee

Under the direction of the Executive Vice President and Provost an EIT Accessibility Steering Committee will operate with the authority and responsibility to review, approve and implement the University EIT Accessibility Standards. The committee will also be responsible for marketing and awareness of the standards and recommending resources to help persons responsible for campus EIT to understand and implement the standards. Other responsibilities of the committee include:

  • Provide an EIT accessibility training program
  • Oversee the EIT accessibility evaluation, remediation, grievance and exemption processes.
  • Other responsibilities as determined by the Executive Vice President and Provost.

559.5 COMPLAINT AND GRIEVANCE PROCESS

Any person can issue a formal complaint of a violation of the University EIT Accessibility Policy through the University Accessibility Website at https://accessibility.usu.edu/. The complaint will be assigned to an investigator who will work in good faith to complete the investigation in a prompt and equitable manner.

After the investigation process, a response will be provided to the individual who filed the complaint with a summary of findings and proposed resolution to the complaint where applicable. The person who filed the complaint will then have the right to appeal the findings of the original review to the EIT Accessibility Steering Committee for further investigation.