The University of Michigan is committed to ensuring equitable access to digital information for all users, including individuals with disabilities.
The Strategic Initiative aims to position U-M as a leader in higher education by developing and maintaining mature processes, support systems, services, and tools to meet both internal policies and external regulations.
Procurement
Objective: Create and implement a refined procurement process for acquiring, assessing, and maintaining accessible technology.
Action Plan:
- Establish a working group with Central Procurement, ECRT, OGC, and ITS. DONE
- Develop, approve, and implement an updated procurement process, specifications, and contract language. IN-PROGRESS
- Communicate changes and train staff, ensure stakeholders are aware of new resources, roles, and responsibilities. IN-PROGRESS
Strategy and Guidance
Objective: Develop and consistently communicate the overall University of Michigan's strategy, with updates aligned with Title II and Section 504.
Action Plan:
- Provide university leadership with essential information to communicate campus expectations. IN-PROGRESS
- Support U-M with interpretation and guidance on policy and regulations. IN-PROGRESS
Communications
Objective: Develop and deliver consistent messaging across multiple channels to communicate current strategy, tools, and pathways to support and services.
Action Plan:
- Partner with VP Comm, ITS Communications, ECRT, OGC, and individual units to deliver campaigns that communicate timely guidance and promote general knowledge of digital accessibility. IN-PROGRESS
- Launch the updated accessibility.umich.edu website. DONE
- Mature the Digital Accessibility Liaison (DAL) network into a self-sustaining entity for coordination and communications. IN-PROGRESS
- Create Communication Toolkits for DAL network and Unit Communicators. IN-PROGRESS
Course Content Accessibility
Objective: Provide tools, support, and services to enable U-M to deliver equitable access to digital course content.
Action Plan:
- Launch the Canvas Accessibility tool and begin phased rollout to all U-M with support, training, and guidance for units to manage compliance. IN-PROGRESS
- Investigate service models to support course content accessibility. COMING
Compliance Leadership
Objective: Provide tools, guidance, and support for the entire U-M community to manage U-M websites and U-M applications towards compliance.
Action Plan:
- Relaunch the Accessibility Scanning Service to support unit-level compliance management. IN-PROGRESS
- Mature the use of the accessibility database for appropriate U-M reporting and unit compliance management. COMING
- Refine and communicate the scope of ITS Accessibility Reviews Service. IN-PROGRESS
Emerging Solutions
Objective: Investigate and implement new digital accessibility tools, services, and solutions where needed.
Action Plan:
- Investigate tools and vendor services to support accessible documents in Google Workspace. IN-PROGRESS
- Investigate tools and vendor services to support accessible PDFs. IN-PROGRESS
- Investigate tools and solutions for accessible video, including automatic captioning and professional services. IN-PROGRESS
Training
Objective: Maintain and develop training to support current strategy and for different roles and responsibilities.
Action Plan:
- Develop materials needed for the relaunch of the ITS Accessibility Scanning Service. IN-PROGRESS
- Develop handbooks for unit managers and scan coordinators to use in management of the accessibility of their web presence. IN PROGRESS
- Relaunch accessibility.umich.edu to better direct people to existing training resources. DONE
- Assess training gaps and develop or determine appropriate training to meet the strategy and goals. IN-PROGRESS