[Cato] FW: [External] FW: Making accessibility a priority

[Ward Naf]

Dr. Richardson,



I'm writing on behalf of CATO, the State Board's Committee for Accessible Technology Oversight. Your recent district email (forwarded to Jess Thompson by Jeannie Henkle) on Making Accessibility a Priority is an exemplary model for how a college president can communicate the importance of this work. It clearly demonstrates the critical need for shared responsibility to ensure an accessible and equitable experience for all students, employees, and community members. CATO would like to encourage you to share this with the other college presidents via your listserve.



Thank you for your commitment and being a leader in this work.





Ward Naf

Co-Chair Committee for Accessible Technology Oversight
IT Director
Whatcom Community College
(360) 383-3430


________________________________
From: Henkle, Jeannie <jHenkle at wvc.edu<mailto:jHenkle at wvc.edu>>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2018 11:37 AM
To: Jess Thompson
Subject: FW: Making accessibility a priority


President's letter...



From: Richardson, Jim
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2018 3:50 PM
To: All District
Subject: Making accessibility a priority





Hello all,



As part of its mission to serve the educational needs of students of diverse backgrounds, Wenatchee Valley College is making accessibility a priority.



Electronic and information technology resources that are created accessibly, following universal design standards<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/resources.html#Understanding%20disability>, are usable by everyone on our campus, including those with disabilities. Here's everything you should know about the accessibility work being done at WVC and how you can help.



What we're doing

Work is underway. We already have:

  *   a committee dedicated to this work. The Access 360 Committee is a made up of 12 WVC employees who are working to make campus more accessible. Learn more about the committee and WVC's accessibility team<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/contact.html>.
  *   many staff and faculty who have completed accessibility trainings and are incorporating it into their materials.
  *   resources and tools available to everyone. Visit our accessibility homepage<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility> for resources, tools and more.
  *   begun remedial work on pages and materials on the website.
  *   started work on a reporting tool<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/reporting.html> so that users can report accessibility issues on the website. It will be available soon.

What you can do

You are a part of the solution! There's a lot you can do to begin incorporating accessibility into your work. You can:

  *   educate yourself about accessibility on the resources page on our website<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/resources.html>.
  *   get free training! The state offers a thorough online training that is perfect for beginners. View the course<https://sbctc.instructure.com/courses/1578604/> and check back here to register<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/elearning-open-education/training-registration.aspx> for the next available course.
  *   attend info sessions on campus to ask questions and learn more. Info sessions will be held April 11 and April 18 with ITV to Omak. View the times and locations<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/>. A session in Omak will be scheduled soon.
  *   give us feedback. Tell us what trainings you'd like or what resources you'd like to see on the website. Contact Jeannie Henkle at (509) 682-6718 or at jhenkle at wvc.edu<mailto:jhenkle at wvc.edu>.

Learn more

Here's what you should know about accessibility:

  *   accessible materials work better for everyone - not just those with disabilities. Read more about the benefits of universal design<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/resources.html#Understanding%20disability>.
  *   accessibility is a legal requirement. Federal law and state policy both require public colleges and universities to make online materials accessible. Failure to comply with these laws is an issue of discrimination. Read about the legal reasons for accessibility on our website<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/resources.html#Understanding%20disability>.
  *   making things accessible isn't as scary as it might sound. Here are 3 things you can start doing now to make your stuff more accessible<https://www.wvc.edu/accessibility/blog.html>. (By the way, this e-mail is an example of accessible formatting!)

Thank you for your continued dedication to making Wenatchee Valley College a place for all students to learn.



Sincerely,



Jim Richardson, Ph.D.

WVC President
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