The Potential of Implementing Web Accessibility into the Accreditation Process - A New NCDAE/WebAIM Initiative
The National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE) and WebAIM have begun a high-profile effort to create materials useful for education entities who wish to engage in self-study on the accessibility of their institution's web content. The project will also focus on working with regional accrediting bodies to explore the possibility that they might choose to adopt these materials in their work with education. The project is organized as a national consortium so that many voices contribute to the goals of the project which are to:
Develop, evaluate, and disseminate a body of materials and processes on web accessibility for those in education to use and for accrediting bodies to incorporate into accreditation processes.
The five-member project consortium includes individuals representing a regional accrediting body, an affiliate of a regional education collaborative, a statewide postsecondary commission, and disability and accessibility advocates.
The work of this project is seen as vital to improving the scope of accessible digital content in education. Many institutions have made a commitment to web accessibility on their own. These progressive institutions see value in supporting accessible content because it is the right thing to do for their staff, students, and community members. Moreover, they recognize that it is smart from both an economic and technologic standpoint. However, there are many more institutions that have been silent on system-wide accessibility efforts. Although there are many resources on web accessibility and models of system reform that could be used, many education entities do not address the inaccessibility of their web content unless forced to do so by a complaint or legal action.
It is possible that widespread system change has failed to happen because of a lack of administrative commitment or motivation. It is not uncommon to hear developers lament, "My administration is happy if I develop accessibly, but it is not a direction supported, or required, by them. I always do what I am asked to do."
One existing motivational structure for administrators in education is the process of institutional accreditation. Accreditation is a mechanism for education entities (K-20) to demonstrate that they have met acceptable standards for quality (for more on this topic see the U.S. Department of Education's statement on accreditation in the United States). Education entities work hard to achieve accreditation, as failure to do so could impact both the reputation and functioning of the institution. For example it could impair the ability of their students to secure a federal loan while attending that institution, transfer credits to another institution, or receive a degree that is recognized by professional organizations. Typically, institutions engage in a process of self-study, or reflection, on the standards and guidelines given to them by an accrediting body. This process results in a report to the accreditor detailing all of the ways in which the institution has met the standards or guidelines. This report, in conjunction with a site visit from a team comprised of peers and accreditors, is the basis for a determination of accreditation. The self-study process is typically extensive and organized through administrative efforts and resources. Areas found to be weak, or out of compliance, are the focus of institutional efforts in the months and years to come.
If education entities were to explore web accessibility through the process of self-study, it is hoped that widespread change could be made. It is important to note, however, that including accessibility in accreditation is a decision that the accreditors themselves must make. However, it is highly likely that web accessibility maps onto the existing standards and guidelines of the accrediting bodies. One example of this might be an accreditation standard regarding diversity, or of excellence in instruction. Assuming this to be true, accreditors and institutions could then benefit from a set of materials not currently available. The project will focus on this area - to create materials to facilitate self-study by institutions and use by accreditation entities.
Deliverables
The project will develop a set of 6 deliverables:
- A whitepaper to outline the rationale for, and research to support, accessibility in accreditation standards;
- A document of institutional "indicators" of accessibility. These would provide a comprehensive outline and description of required, recommended, and best practices in electronic accessibility in education;
- An institutional self-study packet to offer accessibility checklists and a process for institutional assessment;
- A process for conducting an accessibility audit. This would aid institutions or accrediting bodies as they measure continuous improvement;
- Accessibility support materials and resources for institutional or accreditation site-teams; and
- A document for site-teams to recommend how they might capture and properly report on institutional accessibility findings.
This is a 3-year effort supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) under their highly competitive Comprehensive Program. Only 16 grants were funded this year and NCDAE and WebAIM are honored to have this opportunity. The support of FIPSE acknowledges that this is a system-wide problem requiring system-wide solutions. It should be noted that FIPSE has funded web accessibility efforts in the past - WebAIM began in 1999 as a FIPSE-funded project.
The lead partners in the Project Consortium are NCDAE and WebAIM at Utah State University. This Consortium will have opportunities to disseminate project materials broadly. For example, NCDAE has 635 affiliates representing education, industry, and policy-making. WebAIM's current community is in excess of 1,000 subscribers with over three-quarters of a million unique visitors to their site in the past year.
Other consortium members include: (1) Myk Garn and Jevonda Keith, from Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education (KCP), with oversight responsibilities for publicly-funded colleges and universities in Kentucky; (2) Pat Shea, from the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) with 285 member organizations; and (3) Lisa McLaughlin representing K-20 through both Western Heights School District in Oklahoma City, and AdvancED -- a unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Southern Association of Colleges and School Council on Accreditation (SACS CASI), and the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE). This accrediting organization is the world's largest, representing 23,000 public and private schools and districts in 30 states, serving 15 million students.
This project seeks institutions that are interested in field-testing the project materials and providing feedback. Any institution that participates will receive a complementary set of the final materials. If interested, please contact Cyndi Rowland.
Read the "Need and Significance of the Project" from the FIPSE grant application to understand the importance of the project what it will accomplish
