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Policy Number: 11.60
Effective Date: May 21, 2025
Revision History: February 16, 2023; May 26, 2016
Policy Contact: Vice President for Information Technology and Institutional Research/CIO
I. Purpose and Policy Statement
This policy establishes minimum accessibility standards for digital content and information technology resources at Georgia Gwinnett College (“GGC”) to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The College follows all applicable laws as well as University System of Georgia (“USG”) policies and standards for accessible digital content and information technology resources.
II. Scope
This policy applies to all employees. This policy includes all information technology resources and digital content including content secured with a login.
III. Definitions
Information Technology Resource: Any hardware, software, service, system, or database used in support of College activities. This includes systems and applications hosted on premises or in the cloud as well as applications created by the College.
Digital Content: Refers to any electronic-HTML or non-HTML-resources that are used in the creation, conversion, maintenance, or duplication of data or information. Digital content may include, but is not limited to, applications, courseware, electronic documents, media, social media, software, and websites.
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (“VPAT”): A template that explains how information and communication technology (“ICT”) products such as software, hardware, digital content, electronic documents, and support documentation meet the Revised 508 Standards for IT accessibility.
508 Standards: These standards require all federal agencies, including those who receive federal funding, to make their electronic and information technology (“EIT”) accessible to people with disabilities.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”): A set of guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium intended to make web content more accessible. Web content includes text, images, and sounds as well as the code or markup that defines structure or presentation.
Web Accessibility Initiative- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (“WAI-ARIA”): Defines a way to make web content and web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies.
IV. Standards
- The required version for assessing the accessibility of web and digital content is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
- Digital content and information technology resources are reviewed for compliance with 508 Standards for electronic and information technologies.
V. Roles and Responsibilities
- Provide Training to Campus Community: Information Technology, Disability Services, Human Resources, Digital Communications, and Legal Affairs provide training on accessibility standards and compliance to employees.
- Ensure Accessibility of Digital Content: The responsibility for digital resources created by employees resides within the employee’s department. The department is responsible for ensuring that digital resources are in compliance with College and USG standards.
- Procurement of Information Technology Resources: Information Technology follows USG and College procurement policies and as such requests that all vendors provide a completed VPAT to the Vice President for Information Technology or designee as part of established procurement policies and processes.
- Adoption of Digital Resources: Departments are responsible for ensuring digital resources that are adopted or recommended for use by employees are in compliance with College and USG standards.
- Remediation: Information Technology will facilitate remediation of digital content upon request by providing training or recommending resources. The Vice President for Information Technology or designee may require remediation or removal of digital content that does not meet accessibility standards.
VI. Compliance
All community members are responsible for complying with policies, standards, and procedures.
VII. Related Regulations, Statues, Policies, and Procedures
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973[LV1] [TB2]
Section 255 of the Communications Act
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010
USG Information Technology Handbook [LV3] [TB4]
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Web Accessibility Initiative- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA)
Information Technology Acquisition and Integration Policy
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