Electronic & Info. Resources Accessibility

PURPOSE

Sam Houston State University (SHSU) is committed to making its website and other electronic and information resources accessible to all users, including persons with disabilities.

The purpose of the Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility Policy is to ensure University compliance with accessibility standards set forth in Texas Government Code § 2054.451, et. seq., Title 1 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapters 206 and 213, and related state and federal law.

 

SCOPE

This policy applies to all Electronic and Information Resources developed, procured, or changed by SHSU or a contractor providing goods or services under a University contract.

 

DEFINITION

“Electronic and Information Resources” (EIR) includes telecommunications products, information kiosks and transaction machines, web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. EIR also includes information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment used to create, convert, duplicate, store, or deliver data or information.

EIR does not include any equipment that contains embedded information technology that is used as an integral part of the product, but the principal function of which is not the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.

 

POLICY STATEMENT

All EIR must comply with state and federal law.

Unless an exception is approved by the Vice President for Information Resources (see PRE-05), an exemption has been made by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) (TAC §213.37), EIR shall comply with applicable standards/specifications:

 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Any employee, contractor or representative who is responsible for developing, procuring or changing University EIR, must ensure requirements in this policy are met.

Contact the EIR Accessibility Coordinator with any questions.

The EIR Accessibility Coordinator, as designated by the President and posted on the University’s website, shall facilitate compliance with this EIR policy institution-wide. (TAC §213.41 (d)). The EIR Accessibility Coordinator’s responsibilities include:

1. Overseeing and scheduling required periodic testing and monitoring of website compliance, as described in this policy. (TAC §206.70)
2. Maintaining records for all EIR documentation and support services, as described in TAC §213.36.
3. Maintaining records for all exception requests and approvals. (TAC §213.37)
4. Assisting University employees and contractors with the procurement of accessible EIR and recommending amendments to University policies in accordance with PRE-25. (TAC §213.38)
5. Completing and submitting to the DIR the EIR accessibility survey. (TAC §213.40)
6. Developing an EIR accessibility compliance plan and goals for approval by the President or designee. (TAC §213.41)

 

Exception Requests

If EIR developed, procured or changed is unable to comply with the standards in this policy, an exception will be initiated by the VP of Information Technology or must be requested by the Dean or Vice President responsible for the specific EIR if essential to University operations.

To request an exception, submit an EIR Accessibility Exception Request to the EIR Accessibility Coordinator for review. Once reviewed by the EIR Accessibility Coordinator, the Vice President for Information Technology is responsible for determining whether the exception should be granted. (See PRE-05)

 

Monitoring and Testing

All new or changed web page/site designs must be tested using one or more EIR accessibility validation tools. (TAC §206.70 (d))

All new or changed web pages must be monitored for compliance. Monitoring includes a combination of automated testing reports and manual review. (TAC §206.70 (e))

 

Major Information Resource Project (MIRP)

Accessibility testing, planning, and execution criteria shall be documented for the project and accessibility testing shall be performed by a third-party testing service or knowledgeable University staff member to verify compliance with TAC §206.70 and 213 for any EIR project whose development costs exceed $500,000 and that:

• requires one year or longer to reach operational status;
• involves more than one institution of higher education or state agency; or
• substantially alters work methods of the University or University personnel or the delivery of services to clients. (TAC §213.38 (g))

 

Policy Review

To align with Regular Sessions of the Texas Legislature, this Policy and the related laws will be evaluated for changes every two (2) years.

If this policy conflicts with new or existing laws or the Texas State University Rules and Regulations, the preemptive law or rule applies. The Vice President for Information Technology must be notified in the event of any significant changes to operations.

 

Related Policies, References and Attachments

 

Policies

 

References

 

Attachments

 

Contact

For any questions regarding this policy or other accessibility information, please contact the EIR Accessibility Coordinator at eiraccessibility@shsu.edu.

 

 

Updated: 2/23/2021