Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility (EIRA) Program Plan
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), a member of The Texas A&M University System, is committed to providing a working, learning, and service environment that affords equal access and opportunity to individuals with disabilities, in compliance with federal and state law. Students, employees, applicants, and other people with disabilities served by A&M-Corpus Christi are not segregated, separated, or treated differently.
Scope
The EIRA program plan covers all electronic and information resources (EIR), whether purchased, developed, maintained, or used for university business (i.e. programs, services, activities), as defined in Texas Administrative Code (TAC).
Accessibility Standards
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 508) includes accessibility standards that ensure reasonable accessibility to people with disabilities. This includes in large part The Worldwide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0, Level AA conformance (WCAG 2.0 AA).
Additional standards and adjustments are included in TAC §206.70 (web accessibility) and TAC 213 (electronic and information resources accessibility) for all Texas state institutions of higher education. These closely align with the Revised Section 508 with the following changes:
- Closed captioning based on request for an accommodation: Section 508 requires all videos to be captioned, however, due to the resources involved, TAC §206.70 still allows for a short lead time to make the accommodation based upon request
- Mobile device accessibility: Standards can be found in WCAG 2.1 AA
- Varying internet speed accessibility: Files should be reasonable in size
Pillars of the Accessibility Program
- Procure: We recognize the importance of finding the most accessible EIR when purchasing, developing, maintaining, or using EIR for university business.
- Remediate: We should scan and test the contents of our EIR (e.g. websites, digital course materials) and improve the accessibility of web pages, web content, and electronic documents; and we will respond quickly to requests for ADA accommodations to our EIR.
- Educate: We will help anyone with an ADA complaint regarding the accessibility of our EIR by providing training and guidance on alternative accommodations as needed.
- Collaborate: We will work together across all divisions in order to provide a progressively more inclusive environment through governance and policy.
- Progress: We will report our compliance to the State of Texas and other authorities, detailing our progress toward a more inclusive university environment.