Accessible Technology Standards

Introduction

Everett Community College makes appropriate academic adjustments and reasonable modifications to policies, programs, courses, and practices in order to enhance the educational opportunities of the campus community. Such adjustments and modifications will result from collaboration between staff, faculty, Media Services, eLearning, and the Center for Disability Services.

Standards

1. Students requesting accommodations will provide documentation and complete an intake interview with the Center for Disability Services.
2. Audio and visual materials which are part of a course of study will be made accessible.
3. All courses—face to face, online, hybrid, and web-enhanced-- will be designed such that accessibility is assured on day one of the quarter and students requiring accommodations will not be delayed in engaging with their course of study.
4. The college will provide support and assistance for faculty and other college personnel in developing and/or updating courses and course materials to meet ADA guidelines.
5. Modifications to courses and/or materials that fundamentally alter the services, program, course or activity will not be considered reasonable. It is the expectation that faculty and the CDS staff will work collaboratively to ensure that accommodations are reasonable and do not fundamentally change the course intent.  Immediate notice will be provided to the CDS Director and the student if an academic adjustment will be delayed or contested. 
6. When purchasing software and media materials every effort will be made to purchase products that are accessible to persons with disabilities.
7. Development of courses in all formats will consider the following elements to ensure accessibility:
   • Application of principles of universal design
   • Use of captioning in video materials
   • Alternatives to audio materials (i.e. transcripts)
   • Ability of screen reading software to read documents