Accessibility and Usability
Access to information by all members of the UW-La Crosse community is inherent to our mission as an institution of higher education. The World Wide Web provides a unique way to deliver many of the University's information resources. It is important to consider, however, that the design of these resources must be accessible to all members of our community, including those with disabilities.
UW-L websites must comply with the relevant subsections of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Specifically, UW-L will maintain compliance with subsections 1194.1 and 1194.22 of Section 508. Additionally, UW-L embraces the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines and makes several additional recommendations based on these guidelines. Details regarding the guidelines are located at the Access Board and in Appendix A of the UW-La Crosse Web Accessibility Policy. The ITS Support Center offers a two-part training course on accessibility.
Monitoring and Follow-up
Each UW-L program, unit, department, division, or organization has the responsibility to monitor the continued accessibility compliance of its websites. We strongly recommend using AccVerify, which is software supported by UW-L Information Technology Services (ITS), to aid in meeting this requirement. AccVerify is available for download from the ITS Support Center.
ITS will conduct periodic reviews of websites. Designated contacts for non-conforming pages will be notified of the guidelines and the resources available to assist them with meeting these guidelines. A timely response to correct identified problems will be expected in order to maintain compliance with this policy. Formal complaints regarding web page accessibility issues will be handled according to current University procedures, including, if necessary, the removal of offending pages from the University web.
Training and Support
A key component to the successful implementation of the Web Accessibility Policy will be the training and support for web developers across campus. To that end, the ITS Support Center in cooperation with other university departments offers training classes, support documentation and resources, and consultations to web developers of university websites. Be sure to sign up for training to learn more about web accessibility and how to use AccVerify.
