"Accessible" means fully and equally accessible to and independently usable by disabled individuals so they are able to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same timeframe as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use.
Roane State views accessibility as a holistic value that must be embedded in decision-making and processes across the college. To guide faculty and staff, the college’s accessibility plan includes the following four focus areas: establishing guidelines, providing consistent and relevant training, improving accessibility in a systematic fashion, and communicating accessibility policies and best practices.
Within each focus area, the plan includes a purpose, objectives, priority (high, medium, low) areas responsible for the objectives, and timeline for completion. Each focus area has only one high priority objective. The immediacy of the objective was a factor in determining its priority.
Purpose: One challenge of accessibility is to go beyond defining it as a term but to also define how actions taken to improve accessibility should be measured. How will the college know it is progressing on the path to accessibility? Our purpose is to provide guidelines and to regularly evaluate and update those guidelines as needed.
| Objective | Priority | Responsible | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1: Establish guidelines for accessibility of content, processes, services, software, and products | High | Accessibility committee President’s Cabinet |
Ongoing |
| 1.2: Review guidelines | Medium | Accessibility committee President’s Cabinet |
Annually |
| 1.3: Review Accessibility plan | Medium | Accessibility committee | Annually |
Purpose: In many cases, whether information and services are accessible depends not on software, but the actions of faculty and staff. Our purpose is to, as much as possible, ensure that lack of knowledge is not a barrier to accessibility at Roane State.
| Objective | Priority | Responsible | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1: Provide ongoing faculty/staff training on accessibility each semester | Medium | CTAT Department Heads |
Ongoing |
| 2.2: Provide ongoing training on evaluating accessibility as part of the purchasing process | Medium | Accessibility liaison(s) Purchasing Department Heads |
Ongoing |
| 2.3: Provide ongoing support each semester on creating accessible website content | Medium | Library Marketing and Communications Webmasters |
Ongoing |
Purpose: Accessibility is a process of continuous improvement. Our purpose is to identify specific priority areas to address as part of ongoing efforts to move toward accessibility.
| Objective | Priority | Responsible | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1: Train on accessible document creation for the purpose of creating accessible syllabi | Medium | CTAT | Ongoing |
| 3.2: Work toward increase of accessible files during creation of new Web pages and revision of current Web pages | Medium | Webmasters | Ongoing |
| 3.3: Review renewal of expiring contracts for accessibility | Medium | Purchasing | Ongoing |
| 3.4: Review enrollment process for accessibility | Medium | Enrollment services | Ongoing |
| 3.5: Review/recommend software and tools for creating accessible content | Medium | CTAT | Ongoing |
Purpose: Continuous and consistent communication on accessibility will help ensure that the college develops and maintains a culture of accessibility. Our purpose is to ensure that importance of accessibility is consistently communicated to the college and to provide a useful resource for best practices.
| Objective | Priority | Responsible | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1: Maintain accessibility website | High | Accessibility committee | Ongoing |
| 4.2: Send regular communication on accessibility | Medium | Accessibility committee Webmasters Purchasing CTAT |
Ongoing |
Susan R Sutton • (865) 882-4658 • Click name for email address
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
