ATI Newsletter - Spring 2021

February, 2021

A Message from our ATI Steering Committee Sponsors

As our campus continues to teach, learn and work remotely due to COVID-19, we are sending our ATI newsletter a little earlier than usual this semester. Our commitment to technical accessibility means we must be even more vigilant with our continued use of remote technology.

This newsletter focuses on accessibility when using virtual services. It is full of tips, resources and reminders that we hope will help you purchase and use virtual technology accessibly. We are providing a number of links to online quick reference materials, training videos, available tools, and other online resources as the campus continues with remote delivery of instruction during COVID-19. We are also excited to announce our plan to upgrade our campus website to improve accessibility.

We hope that you will find this newsletter helpful and informative.

Beth Lesen, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Accessible Technology Initiative Sponsor & Co-Chair

Min Yao, Ph.D.
Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Accessible Technology Initiative Sponsor & Co-Chair

Accessibility and Virtual Services

Purchasing Virtual Services

Many of the training, consulting, and presentation services that once occurred face-to-face in the past are now delivered virtually. Procurement has also updated the How to Purchase to Pay (P2P) website to address other changes from face-to-face to virtual types of purchases.

Please remember that when entering a Purchase Requisition for a Virtual Service Agreement an E&IT Checklist (SSO login required) is still necessary. The delivery of online services to campus requires review and approval for technical accessibility.

Here are some quick tips about when an E&IT Checklist (SSO login required) is needed:

  • Webinar Attendance Hosted Off-Campus: Not required.
  • Purchasing Virtual Services: Yes, required.
    Examples: training, consulting, and presentations where service provider is the host.
  • Campus Hosts a Virtual Conference: Yes, required.

Using Virtual Technology Accessibly

Captions in Online Presentations and Video

According to U.S. government figures, one person in eight has some functional hearing limitation (webaim.org). All voice and video content, whether created on campus or purchased from a vendor, require captioning to insure accessibility for all users. Captions are also helpful for many other reasons such as in noisy environments, or when you don't want to disturb others working near you.

Even though a technical tool passes the campus procurement review process, it must still be used in a way that creates accessible output.

Listed below are options for creating captions in your presentations and videos to improve communication and provide learning options for viewers. For students who have specifically requested disability-related accommodations, please contact RequestBMACaccess@csulb.edu to ensure that your media meets legal accessibility criteria.

Live Captioning

Auto-generated speech-to-text transcriptions that appear in ‘real-time” at the bottom of your screen as you talk are now available in some popular presentation tools:

Captioning in Vimeo and YouTube

Vimeo and YouTube provide a means to include subtitles and captions to video as separate, transcribed files:

Find help with captions and other accessibility services on our ATI Contacts & Resources web page.

Microsoft Word & PowerPoint Accessibility Learning Resources at CSULB

Learn more about creating accessible materials with these resources developed at CSULB by the Accessible Instructional Material (AIM) Center and ITS.

Microsoft Office 365 Accessibility Features Quick Reference Chart for Word and PowerPoint

Discover convenient and easy-to-use accessibility tools when using Microsoft Office 365 for Word and PowerPoint. Please note that these features are available in Microsoft Office 365 but may differ or not be available in other versions of Microsoft Office products

Document Accessibility Workshops

Join document accessibility training workshops with Information Technology Services (ITS):

Accessibility Resources and Videos

Learn how to plan and create documents, graphic design, video, emails, social media materials, and virtual events with accessibility in mind.

Microsoft Word Accessibility Videos

Learn about headers, alternative text images, identify heading tables, and more, from Microsoft Word Accessibility videos.

Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Videos

Learn about naming slides titles, arranging the reading order, adding alternative text images, and more, from Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Videos.

Print and Digital Flyers Accessibility

Learn how to create campus accessible flyers that will be printed and physically posted, digitized and uploaded to campus web pages, or distributed using email. 

LinkedIn Learning Courses on Accessibility

Here are a few recommended courses on accessibility we’ve curated from LinkedIn Learning, a resource available to all CSULB employees:

Accessibility Statements for Your Events

Please remember to include the following accommodation statements in any of your event marketing or communication materials:

For Employees:

If you need a reasonable accommodation based on a disability or medical restriction to access this program, please contact Equity & Diversity (OED@csulb.edu) for employees as soon as possible so we can assist you prior to the program.

For Students:

To request disability-related accommodations, complete the Bob Murphy Access Center Event Request Form.

Campus Web Upgrades Begin in 2021

Campus Web Content Management System and Accessibility Standards

Our campus is beginning to plan for an upgrade to its hosted cloud web content management system (Drupal). Upgrading to the latest version of Drupal will allow the campus to stay current with Drupal’s updated functionality and security features. 

In addition, our campus is beginning to plan for a major upgrade to its Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG). WCAG is an industry standard that defines how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Our campus is currently using the WCAG 2.0 standard, and plans to upgrade to the WCAG 2.1 AA standard which will help us provide improved accessibility features to our web users.

More information will be provided as project planning continues.

Did You Know?

Did you know an E&IT Checklist (SSO login required) submission is required for electronic software and applications even if they are obtained at zero cost?