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General Questions FAQs

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Where can I get information on the Web Accessibility Policy?

The central source for information on the Policy is the University’s Web Accessibility Website (www.webaccess.msu.edu). The Website includes the full text of the Web Accessibility Policy and Interim Technical Guidelines, and provides current information on consulting services, techniques and tutorials, and classes and workshops available to assist in implementing the Policy.

Who should I contact if I have questions on the Web Accessibility Policy?

  • Policy questions should be directed to the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, 517/353-3922, inclusion@msu.edu.
  • Suggestions for additional FAQs should be directed to the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, 517/353-3922, inclusion@msu.edu.
  • Technical questions should be directed to the Distance Learning Services helpline, 800/500-1554 or 517/355-2345, reachout@msu.edu.
  • Complex technical questions and requests for comprehensive site evaluation should be directed to the Usability and Accessibility Center, 517/353-8977, uac@msu.edu.
  • Purchasing and professional service contract questions should be directed to Purchasing, 517/884-6186.

Why has the University implemented this policy now?

The Web Accessibility Policy embodies a longstanding commitment to provide accessible web services to faculty, staff, students, and members of the community. As early as 1991, all Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, and Executive Managers were provided information to share with faculty and staff about developing and maximizing the ability of all users to access Web information, services, and resources. The University’s Statement of Encouragement on Website Accessibility was issued in 2003 to strongly encourage University Web developers to apply principles of web accessibility wherever possible in the design and implementation, and in the renewal and replacement, of their web content. The Statement also reminded Web developers that programs and services offered over the Web that did not meet Web accessibility standards were required to offer comparable non-web based programs and services for qualified individuals with disabilities. Work began in 2006 to transform the principles articulated in the Statement of Encouragement into a more formal policy. This effort involved the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives; Libraries, Computing and Technology; Accessibility and Usability Center, Outreach and Engagement; Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities; Accommodating Technology Committee; Network and Communications Committee; Instructional Computing and Technology Committee; Office of the Provost; and the Office of the General Counsel.

If technology cannot be made accessible, does the policy prohibit its use?

This policy is not intended to limit the fields or topics of scholarship, instruction or service undertaken at MSU, and is not intended to adversely affect the quality of MSU instruction, scholarship or service.

The policy is not intended to prohibit the use of a technology, tool, resource or technique that would contribute materially or uniquely to the quality of an activity or function, or is essential to a Web-based experience, solely because that technology, tool, resource or technique cannot be made accessible or can be made accessible only at great cost.

If a technology, tool, resource or technique that cannot be made accessible is adopted for use, the adopter should remember that an equally effective accommodation must be provided to any person involved in the activity who needs an accessibility accommodation. Decisions regarding a reasonable accommodation for an individual or the need of one should be pursued by the individual through MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Choosing to use a technology, tool, resource or technique that cannot be made accessible must be defensible as a true contributor to quality or feasibility, and not done in order to avoid the need to comply with the accessibility policy.

The volume and variety of MSU’s Websites is enormous, and the task of making them accessible can seem daunting. What is the recommended approach to work toward increasingly complete compliance with the policy?

The following tips and questions can assist in planning this approach:

  1. What simple things could be done to improve accessibility quickly and at low cost?
  2. For instructional sites, the syllabus should be accessible so that enrolled and potentially interested students may access the core information about the course or offering. For research or other advanced program sites, the top “presentation” layer of the Website should be accessible, even if the “deep” content dealing with research results or methods cannot be made accessible.
  3. What things, sites, or pages should be addressed first to improve accessibility for the largest incremental number of users?
  4. In what areas are we most likely to lack the ability to know, ahead of time, that a user may need an accessibility accommodation? What content is accessed by or may be important to the general public, or large numbers of students? Give attention first to large survey or introductory courses, and to Websites used by the public or for business purposes. Later attention may be given to the content of advanced courses or research sites.