Accessibility

Accessible Technology Policy

In accordance with the SBCTC Accessible Technology Policy, technology and electronic content procured, developed, maintained, and used by Highline College (HC) will provide substantially similar functionality, user experience, and information access to individuals with disabilities as provided to others. This policy encompasses, but is not limited to, digital instructional materials, hardware, software, and Highline College web sites.

Approved by Jeff Wagnitz, Interim President, and Policy Development Council, December 7, 2017

Background

Highline’s cultural diversity policy and our commitment to removing barriers to success for our students and staff drives the need to ensure our use of technology supports those goals. Our electronic resources should:

• Be accessible to all students, regardless of whether they have a documented disability
• Enable equitable participation in all aspects of college life for students from a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences.

Consider the following:

• Experts estimate that just over 10% of the population has a disability. That translates to about 1,500-1,800 students at the college. Only about 300 students per year work with Access Services, leaving well over 1000 students with undocumented disabilities.
• Students today include those who succeeded in primary and secondary school because of the Americans with Disabilities Act and returning veterans who’ve experienced higher rates of hearing loss than the general population.
• Many of our students are English language learners; captioning provided for deaf students can be a valuable support to their ability to participate in classes. The ability to increase the size of text on a document not only helps low-vision students, but those who are older and can’t read fine print at standard computer screen distances.
• In addition, there are a host of laws requiring that instruction be delivered, and work environments be structured, in a way that doesn’t discriminate against students or employees.

Implementation

The Accessible Technology Committee is charged with developing a program to implement this policy. Work will include establishing standards, purchasing and testing procedures, professional development, and document remediation strategies.