3357:13-19-07 College Website Accessibility

1. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities by public colleges and universities receiving financial assistance from the U.S. department of education. North Central State College (“NC State”) is committed to ensuring that its website (online content) is accessible to students, prospective students, employees, guests and visitors, with hearing, visual and manual impairments, or who otherwise require the use of assistive technology to access information.
2. Definitions.
   1. College Web Page: a College Web Page is any publicly accessible web page created by NC State, its departments, or other administrative offices for the official business of NC State.
   2. College-related Web Page: a College-related Web page is any publicly accessible web page created by or linked from a web page created by NC State faculty, staff, students and/or registered student organizations that are either: linked from a College Web Page; stored on one of the NC State controlled web servers; created in support of NC State business and courses; or, on servers contracted by NC State.
   3. Content Editors: Content Editors are NC State employees and students who have been granted access by NC State’s Web Accessibility Coordinator to add or update content on College Web Pages or College-related Web Pages.
   4. ITS: ITS means NC State’s Information Technology Services office.
   5. Third-Party Content: Third-Party Content means online content provided or developed by third parties (e.g. vendors, video-sharing websites such as YouTube, or other open sources) that NC State chooses to make available on a College Web Page or a College-related Web Page.
3. Web Accessibility Technical Standard.
   1. NC State elects to adopt and implement the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level A. All College Web Pages and College-related Web Pages must adhere to WCAG 2.0, Level A.
4. Web Accessibility Coordinator.
   1. NC State will designate an individual to serve as the Web Accessibility Coordinator. NC State shall provide the Web Accessibility Coordinator sufficient resources and authority to coordinate and implement this Policy.
   2. The Web Accessibility Coordinator shall: conduct audits in accordance with this Policy; conduct training in accordance with this Policy; ensure that College Web Pages and College-related Web Pages comply with WCAG 2.0, Level A; and, ensure that Content Editors utilize only Third-Party Content that complies with WCAG 2.0, Level A.
   3. If ITS and/or the Web Accessibility Coordinator find any College Web Pages or College-related Web Pages to be in violation of this Policy, they are authorized to disable the page(s).
5. Training.
   1. Training shall be facilitated by the Web Accessibility Coordinator and provided to Content Editors, administrators, faculty, and all other staff, such as student employees, or other students who are responsible for creating or distributing information on College Web Pages or College-related Web Pages.
   2. Training shall include educating participants on this Policy and identifying each participant’s role and responsibilities to ensure College Web Pages and College- related Web Pages comply with WCAG 2.0, Level A.
   3. Training shall be conducted annually and on an as-needed basis.
6. Audits.
   1. An audit under this Policy will accomplish measuring the current online content found on College Web Pages and College-related Web Pages against WCAG 2.0, Level A.
   2. An audit will occur annually and normally be initiated on or about the beginning of each NC State fiscal year.
   3. All problems identified in the audit will be documented, evaluated, and if necessary, remediated within a reasonable period of time by ITS, Content Editors, and/or the Web Accessibility Coordinator.
7. Reporting Violations.
   1. Students, prospective students, employees, guests, and visitors should report any violations of the technical standards (WCAG 2.0, Level A) used by NC State to the Web Accessibility Coordinator or by submitting a complaint pursuant to NC State Policy 3357:13-15-03 (Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Stalking, and Retaliation Policy). NC State’s Web Accessibility Coordinator can be contacted at: Web Accessibility Coordinator, Kee Hall room 132, 419-755-4810.

Effective: July 11, 2018

Expires: July 1, 2023

Review Dates: 7/11/18