ATI Newsletter - Spring 2019

April 2019

Greetings from the CSULB ATI Steering Committee!

We are excited to present our first Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) Newsletter. The ATI initiative has been in full swing on our campus for many years, and our goal with this newsletter is to send periodic updates and information about accessibility efforts on our campus. The ATI Steering committee meets monthly during the academic year and has three active subgroups whose mission is to continually move accessibility forward at our campus for:

Each of these subgroups will provide ATI information and updates in our ATI Newsletters. We hope that you will enjoy reading about our ATI Newsletters.

Go Beach!

Co-Executive Sponsors & ATI Steering Committee Co-Chairs:

What is ATI?

Some History…

Accessibility technology means access to electronic materials, documents and web sites for everyone, regardless of disability. Implementing the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), which is mandated by the Chancellor’s Office, is a priority for CSULB. All students, faculty, staff, and the general public need equal access to information to learn, teach, work, and reference regardless of ability.

About 20% of the population has some type of disability and this may not include cognitive impairment like learning disabilities or age related issues, which could result in a higher percentage. Whether you're faculty, staff or a student, you have an obligation to make online information you create accessible. As a result, many people with or without a disability will benefit.

The CSULB ATI Steering Committee, with representation from all areas of the campus, is coordinating our implementation of ATI standards throughout our institution. We are working to improve accessibility of our instructional materials, documents and websites, as well as ensuring all products and services purchased meet accessibility guidelines.

Instructional Materials

The campus instructional materials subcommittee is committed to ensuring that course instructional materials are accessible for all students. In collaboration with various offices and resources on campus such as the Accessible Instructional Materials Center (AIM), Bob Murphy Access Center, Academic Technology Services (ATS), and the 49er Shops University Bookstore, the instructional materials subcommittee is dedicated to supporting faculty with accessibility document training, assistive technology training, BeachBoard training, accessibility awareness and creating an overall inclusive learning environment that promotes a culture of access without barriers.

In order for students with disabilities to access their course instructional materials, it is necessary that the instructional materials be converted into an accessible format. On-time requisitions and avoidance of late material changes are crucial to achieving this objective. Therefore, the Instructional Material subcommittee is dedicated in working with faculty to inform them of their responsibilities in seeking support for accessible instructional materials and promoting an effective learning environment that fosters student success.

Electronic and Information Technology Procurement

The Procurement Office officially began work on achieving the goals set forth in the Electronic and Information Technology Accessible Procurement Plan in 2007. Our office has come a long way in identifying and initiating the work to be done in Purchasing to ensure that all students have accessibility to learning from any form of technology that the campus may buy. In the annual ATI system-wide report released by the Chancellor’s Office in 2014-2015, CSULB Procurement led the system in optimizing or managing the status of eight measureable ATI aspects of procurement. This would include areas such as training, communication, and the review and approval process. CSULB Purchasing will continue to be a leader within the CSU in reaching Procurement Goals to meet the needs of all students.

Web-based Information and Services

The campus is committed to ensuring all websites and web applications are accessible and usable by everyone, and is actively working to create web content that is accessible by persons who use assistive technologies.

Any Word, PowerPoint or PDF posted to a campus website needs to be accessible. Both Faculty and Staff training is available, please see Document Accessibility on the Accessible Technology Training page to sign up.

Efforts to develop a more digitally accessible environment are moving ahead. Key accomplishments so far include:

Did You Know?

In support for the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), CSULB will host an accessibility awareness booth by the University Bookstore on Thursday, May 2nd, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The goal is to raise the awareness of what we have already done and what we could do in the future to help students who face barriers.

A team associated with the CSULB Accessibility Technology Initiative (ATI) will be there to provide information and consultations, and demonstrate assistive technologies and related services.

  • Instructional Technology
  • Electronic and Information Technology Procurement
  • Web-based Information and Services
  • Mary Ann Takemoto, Ph.D., Interim Vice President, Student Services
  • Forouzan Golshani, Ph.D., Dean, College of Engineering
  • Min Yao, Ph.D., Vice President and CIO, Division of Information Technology
  • A new campus ATI website was created and launched with information about campus accessibility resources, contacts, policies and training.
  • The campus technology procurement process ensures any web based technology purchased is reviewed for accessibility prior to purchase
  • A campus Accessibility Statement was created and placed on the campus’ Drupal web template
  • Jaws Inspect was introduced to the campus, a more user-friendly tool for accessibility testing