LVAIC Advancing Digital Accessibility Symposium Showcases Challenges, Plants Path for Accessibility on College Campuses

March 20, 2019, @ 4:14 PM

Through collaborative efforts and LVAIC support, a steering committee from across the LVAIC campuses planned and implemented a symposium on advancing digital accessibility on Wednesday, March 20 at Lafayette College. Nearly 40 professionals from across the LVAIC community gathered for this program.

The goals of this program include coordinating and advancing efforts surrounding system-wide improvements in the accessibility of all campus communications and more broadly, the digital campus environment including websites, digital publications, emails, announcements, and course materials. The event also intended to raise awareness among key consortium personnel of our institutional obligations under federal disability law; to identify, coordinate, and advance ongoing institutional efforts in the area of digital accessibility including websites, digital publications, emails, announcements, and course materials; and to explore the establishment of a Consortium-Wide Digital Accessibility Working Group or community of practice.

Accessibility expert Keith Bundy offered the keynote address wherein he shared his experiences with common accessibility challenges, including a demonstration on using a screen reader. Attendees had the opportunity to learn from his first-hand perspective and begin thinking about how these challenges apply to their campus website, course materials, and learning management systems.

The second half of these event featured Corrine Schoeb, Technology Accessibility Coordinator at Swarthmore College, and Jessica Brangiel, Librarian for Electronic Materials at Swarthmore College. This presentation challenged participants to apply their learning from the morning session to problem solve challenges on their own campus. Schoeb and Brangiel shared ways in which they have overcome these challenges at Swarthmore, showcasing the journey to reach the status of acting as a truly accessible campus.

After these presentations, attendees gathered to report out on their impressions of the day and begin planning for future collaboration. The group is working to create a digital accessibility community of practice to continue exploring ways in which the LVAIC community can become more compliant to accessibility standards and more inclusive in its digital presence.

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