51ÁÔÆæ

The Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) is a 51ÁÔÆæ (CSU) systemwide effort to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible to students, employees, and the public. ATI is based on a coded memorandum from the CSU Chancellor's Office and sets forth a roadmap for ensuring accessibility of information technology and resources in compliance with federal and state laws and CSU policy.

ATI focuses on three priority areas:

• Web accessibility – Making websites, web applications, and digital content accessible.
• Instructional materials – Making course materials and online content available in accessible formats for students with disabilities at the same time they are available to all students.
• Procurement of ICT – Incorporating accessibility standards when acquiring new information and communication technology (ICT) products and services.

Instructional materials are any informational content, regardless of source or delivery location, that is required as a component for participation in curricular activities. This includes materials that form the basis for most assigned readings, discussions, activities, and examinations – effectively the raw material for curricular learning.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA Title II rule requires state and local governments, including public universities, to ensure that their web content and mobile apps conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA on a defined timeline. This rule clarifies what has long been required under Title II for digital accessibility.

51ÁÔÆæ’s Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) helps the campus meet these requirements across websites, instructional materials, and technology purchases. You can learn more about how the CSU system is preparing for these requirements on the page.

• Paper-based print materials – Books, reader packets, reserve readings, lab manuals, handouts, written exams.
• Electronic materials – Web-based and LMS-based content; electronic reserves; publisher e-texts; computerized exams.
• Multimedia materials – Web-based video/audio, commercial DVDs, materials bundled with books, photographic slides or lab samples.

Accessible instructional materials have characteristics that align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):

• Perceivable – Users can access the information by modifying its presentation.
• Operable – Users can interact with and navigate the content.
• Understandable – Content is presented in clear, consistent ways that are easy to comprehend.
• Robust – Content works with a range of current and future assistive technologies.

• Sensory impairments – Blindness and low vision.
• Neurological and learning disabilities – Learning disabilities, ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury.
• Physical/mobility impairments – Conditions that affect the ability to hold, carry, or manipulate books and papers.

• Audio formats – Recorded or text-to-speech audio versions of print materials for people who are blind, have low vision, or have certain learning disabilities. Audio formats may also help people who have difficulty handling heavy textbooks or turning pages.
• E-text – Electronic text that can be enlarged, read with screen magnification, or used with screen readers and refreshable Braille displays. E-text can often be searched, indexed, and converted to large print or hard-copy Braille.
• Braille – A system of reading and writing used by people who are blind, produced using desktop software and a Braille embosser.
• Tactile graphics – Tactile representations of pictures or images, such as maps and diagrams, produced on specialized paper or with a Braille embosser.
• Large print – Materials produced with larger font sizes or magnified using specialized equipment.

The ATI requires alternative format materials to be available to students with disabilities at the same time they are available to students without disabilities. Converting textbooks and course materials into accessible formats can take time.

Accessibility Services generally needs several weeks to produce a text in alternate format. Even when a publisher provides an electronic file, it may need significant editing and conversion before it is usable. Timely adoption of textbooks and materials is essential so that:

• Materials can be identified and requested from publishers when possible.
• Print materials can be scanned, converted using optical character recognition (OCR), edited for quality, and then transformed into the requested format (for example, e-text, audio, or Braille).

It depends. Canvas (and other modern learning management systems) are designed with accessibility in mind; however, the documents, media, and tools that instructors add to a course must also be accessible. For example:

• Streaming videos must have accurate, synchronized captions.
• Documents such as Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files must be created accessibly so that they work with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• Links, images, and activities in Canvas need clear text, headings, and alternate text.

Many common document types are not automatically accessible and may require remediation.

Please see our Who to Contact page for assistance with web content, documents, media, technology purchases, and other accessibility questions.