Overview

IT Accessibility is the degree to which electronic and information resources (EIR) are made available to our campus community and visitors. Texas A&M University is required by law to make our EIR accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Plus, incorporating accessibility features is the right thing to do since multiple modes of access facilitate better comprehension and retention. Ensuring accessible technology involves providing, developing, maintaining and procuring EIR that can be used in a variety of ways and does not depend on a single sense or ability.

EIR at Texas A&M University include, but are not limited to:

  • Software applications and operating systems
  • Websites
  • Telecommunications products
  • Video and multimedia products
  • Self-contained, closed products
  • Desktop and portable computers
  • Emerging technologies

Getting Started

Resources

Visit itaccessibility.tamu.edu for information and valuable resources or contact the IT accessibility team at itaccessibility@tamu.edu for specific requests.

Contact Information

Service Details

An accessibility team within Texas A&M Technology Services leads the IT accessibility initiative for Texas A&M University, and responsibilities include:

  • Developing and modifying university policy
  • Offering accessibility training
  • Monitoring accessibility compliance

Our team can assist you with information and resources for the following:

Creating accessible documents

When creating documents, using semantic structure such as headings and lists as well as adding alternate text to images allows those who are blind or have low vision to have access to all the information. Whether your document is HTML, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF or other formats, many key accessibility principles remain the same and help everyone by ensuring an organized and usable document structure.

Developing accessible websites

Automatic web accessibility scanning of key public entry points (KPEPs) is performed periodically to monitor compliance throughout our institution. Testing tools and resources allow you to examine and resolve web accessibility issues within your own campus unit. Developing and maintaining accessible websites has an added benefit of improving search engine rankings.

Creating accessible videos

Captioning videos ensures that those who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to the information everyone else does, and it is a required component of all videos. Captioning is also helpful for non-native English speakers and those choosing to search for terminology without viewing an entire video. Student test scores and levels of comprehension have been shown to improve when captions are utilized.

Procuring accessible EIR

When procuring IT products and services, vendors must be asked to provide valid and measurable information about the accessibility of their products and services. Evaluation of these resources based on vendor-completed VPATs, ensures that optimal levels of accessibility are achieved. Our team is always available to perform reviews and assist with filling out an EIR Accessibility Exception Request form when applicable.

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