Office of Origin: Marketing Services
Date Adopted: 5-21-19
Date Reviewed: 5-21-19
Last Date Modified & Approved: 5-21-19

Lake Michigan College (LMC) is committed to providing web content that is accessible to the widest possible audience regardless of ability.  Accessibility of the web is of critical importance to people with disabilities including people with auditory, cognitive, physical, neurological, and visual disabilities, and is likewise important to those with accessibility needs due to aging.

LMC is committed to ensuring equal access for people with disabilities. As employees, current and prospective students, and existing and potential customers, they are important to the College’s success and should not be excluded.

Requirements

LMC complies with Web Accessibility Standards set forth by WCAG 2.0 Technologies Accessibility Standards.  In addition, any College acquisition or use of online content provided or developed by third parties (e.g., vendors, video-sharing websites such as YouTube, or other open sources) that the College chooses to make available on its website will provide equal opportunity to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of such technology.

Procurement

This policy applies to all web content developed by or for LMC and should be referenced within any contract of services or statements of work for web content, websites, services, or applications.  Any contract must include provision for an independent statement of conformance stating that the work meets the required standard.

Annual Training

Accessibility training will be provided and required of all faculty, staff, and other authorized representatives prior to being given access to manage any online content through the Content Management System (CMS), Learning Management System (LMS), or through remote access to a web server.

This training will help content administrators produce accessible content, and assess and correct content that may be inaccessible. All content administrators will be required to attend Accessibility Training on an annual basis as long as they manage online content.  The training will be facilitated, in whole or in part, by the Web Accessibility Coordinator.

Accessibility Audit

An annual accessibility audit will be conducted under the direction of the Web Accessibility Coordinator during which information provided by the College through its online content is measured against the technical standard(s) adopted in the Web Accessibility Policy.  All problems identified through the audit will be documented, evaluated, and, if necessary, remediated within a reasonable period of time.

Methods of evaluation can include, but are not limited to, automatic scanning, a manual checklist, and user testing, as defined below.

• Automatic Scanning:  The use of automatic scanning tools is recommended as a quick way to determine a rough level of accessibility; however, these tools cannot be relied upon as the only means of assessment.
• Manual Checklist:  A manual checklist can be a simple and quick guide to identify the most common accessibility issues, or extensive document which leads a development team through a thorough review.
• User Testing:  User testing can identify accessibility challenges that may render a site or web-based service difficult for people with disabilities to use. Assistive technology should be used as part of user testing.

Contact Information

Any concerns with the accessibility of online content should be directed to the Digital Communications Specialist, Room MC-120, 2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI 49022, (269) 925-6241, jjacobs@lakemichigancollege.edu, or their designee.

Responsibility: Digital Communications Specialist

References: Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), 29 U.S.C.794, and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 104; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II), 42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq., and its implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. Part 35; WCAG 2.0 Technologies Accessibility Standards