Rule 3344-6-01 | Electronic and information technology accessibility.
(A) Purpose
The purpose of this rule is to ensure that Cleveland state university complies with federal and state laws related to providing access to individuals with disabilities, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Ohio state law, and related regulations.
(B) Definitions
(1) "Accessible" means that a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability with substantially equivalent ease of use.
(2) "Electronic and information technology" or EIT includes e-learning and information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, the internet and intranet websites, content delivered in digital form, electronic books and electronic book reading systems, search engines and databases, learning management systems, classroom technology and multimedia, personal response systems (e.g. "clickers"), and office equipment such as classroom lecterns, copiers and fax machines. It also includes any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, creation, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.
(C) EIT accessibility committee
(1) The EIT accessibility committee is established to create and support the implementation of EIT accessibility standards and guidelines for the purchasing, creation and provision of EIT.
(2) The EIT accessibility committee shall include representation from the information services and technology department, the office of disability services, the center for e-learning, the center for instructional technology and distance learning, the Michael Schwartz library, and other relevant offices.
(3) EIT accessibility committee members shall provide support and training to university departments, offices and administrative units that are responsible for producing, maintaining, distributing, or purchasing EIT.
(D) Standards
(1) The EIT accessibility committee shall develop accessibility standards for document and media accessibility, as well as guidelines for the purchasing, creation and provision of EIT. These standards and guidelines will govern the evaluation of EIT for purchase or use by CSU and provide a consistent framework for accessibility training and support services.
(2) Accessibility standards shall be developed for:
(a) Course content purchased or produced for students;
(b) Software platforms required for students to complete course work;
(c) Public facing university website and web-based applications;
(d) Systems required for use by student employees and/or the majority of Cleveland state university employees;
(e) User interfaces for information systems; and
(f) Other forms of EIT for which the committee determines guidance is necessary.
(E) Responsible parties
(1) All university departments, offices and administrative units that are responsible for producing, maintaining, distributing, or purchasing EIT are ultimately responsible for implementing the accessibility standards and purchasing guidelines, with support and training provided by the EIT accessibility committee.
(2) Departments, offices and administrative units that willfully violate this rule may be held responsible for any costs associated with remediating accessibility issues.