Policy Table of Contents
Introduction
The College for Creative Studies (“CCS”) is committed to ensuring that its website is accessible to everyone, including persons with disabilities. In meeting its obligations under federal law, the CCS ensures that it complies with all Federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination. The CCS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), 29 U.S.C. § 794, and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104, prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability by recipients of Federal financial assistance. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (“Title II”), 42 U.S.C. § 1231 et seq., and its implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 35, prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities. To meet its obligations under Section 504 and Title II, the CCS will continually review its website and modify pages to remove accessibility problems for people with disabilities.
“Accessible” as used in this policy means 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 in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. A person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability. Although this might not result in identical ease of use compared to that of persons without disabilities, it still must ensure equal opportunity to educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of such technology.
To meet its obligations under Section 504 and Title II, the CCS has coded its website to comply with the technical standards of the W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA conformance.
Persons Affected By This Policy
This policy affects all CCS staff (including administrators, faculty, and support staff) responsible for creating or posting online content to the CCS’s website.
Procedures
I. Compliance Requirements
All new and redesigned web pages published after the effective date of this policy must be in compliance with W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA conformance except where doing so would impose a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burdens. Any determination that Level AA conformance with W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, would impose a fundamental alternation or undue financial and administrative burden should be made by the Web Accessibility Coordinator for the College or his or her designee after considering all resources available for use in the funding and operation of the service, program or activity and must be accompanied by a written statement including the reasons for reaching that conclusion.
All CCS staff responsible for acquisition or use of online content provided or developed by third parties for use on the CCS’s website, must ensure that the content is accessible and complies with the technical standards adopted by this policy. CCS staff responsible for acquisition or use of online content may consult with the Web Accessibility Coordinator or designee prior to acquisition of and/or publishing of online content to the CCS’s website to ensure the content complies with this policy.
II. Exclusions
The CCS makes no assurances to any content or open source software that is posted, hosted or offered on the CCS’s website by an individual or entity that is outside of the control of the CCS. The CCS will, however, take reasonable steps to prevent an individual or entity outside of the control of the CCS from posting inaccessible information on the CCS’s website.
The CCS is committed to take all steps to ensure that the content on its website is accessible and in compliance with the technical standards adopted by the CCS, except where doing so is not technologically feasible or would impose a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burdens. Where ensuring that content on the CCS’s website would impose a fundamental alteration or undue financial and administrative burdens, the CCS will provide an equally effective alternative access. In providing an equally effective alternative access, the CCS will ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, persons with disabilities will be afforded an equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement in the most integrated setting appropriate to the person’s needs.
III. Accountability
The CCS’s Web Accessibility Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that the CCS’s website it accessible within the meaning of this policy. The Web Accessibility Coordinator or designee will regularly conduct audits of the CCS’s website and contracted web services to ensure that the content posted on the CCS’s website is accessible and meets the technical standards adopted by the CCS. The Web Accessibility Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that all problems identified through the accessibility audits are documented, evaluated, and if necessary, remediated. Any necessary remediation of the problems identified will be completed within a reasonable period of time. The Web Accessibility Coordinator will also be responsible for maintaining a record of reported instances of non-compliance with this policy and the ultimate resolution.
If you are a student, prospective student, employee, guest or visitor and you are not able to fully access the information on any web page of this site and/or have questions or concerns regarding the accessibility of this site, please contact the CCS’s Web Accessibility Coordinator at:
Megan Mesack
Associate Director of Marketing
Web Accessibility Coordinator
201 E. Kirby
Detroit, MI 48202
313.664.7666
mmesack@collegeforcreativestudies.edu
If you would like to file a formal complaint about the accessibility of the CCS’s website, you may do so using the CCS’s Section 504/Title II grievance procedures.
IV. Training
The CCS will conduct annual training for all staff responsible for creating or posting online content to the CCS’s website on this policy. Any staff new to the CCS who have some responsibilities for creating or posting online content to the CCS’s website, will receive training on this policy during the school year in which the new staff member begins his/her employment with the CCS.