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

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

• Software applications and operating systems
• Websites and web applications
• Telecommunications products
• Video and multimedia products
• Self-contained, closed products
• Desktop and portable computers
• Other 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.

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

• Aligning university accessibility policies with state and federal laws
• Recommending role-based digital accessibility training
• Reviewing digital technologies prior to procurement or to ensure compliance
• Monitoring accessibility compliance for all digital 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 to assist with filling out pertinent procurement forms, including applicable RFP and contract language.