UCI Digital Accessibility Roles and Responsibilities

The Vice Chancellor of Equal Opportunity and Compliance as the ADA Compliance Officer has primary oversight of the University’s ADA compliance, including digital accessibility of UCI technology and digital materials.  The Vice Chancellor of Information Technology and Data provides oversight of the implementation of accessible technology and digital materials at UCI.  Both vice chancellors serve as liaisons to executive management and primary advocates for accessibility among senior leadership.

The ADA Coordinator, under the direction of the Director of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and the ADA Compliance Officer, has the day-to-day responsibility for advising on and monitoring disability accommodation and accessibility compliance, including digital accessibility, which includes:

• Monitor and provide oversight of UCI’s compliance with federal and state disability laws and regulations and related UC policies and digital accessibility.  
• Provide consultation on federal and state disability laws and regulations and related UC policies to UCI committees, task forces, work groups, and departments.  
• Identify areas of potential risk related to digital accessibility.  Consult with Campus Counsel on potential risk issues and mitigation efforts.  
• Develop and update a digital accessibility compliance plan.  Guide and measure the university’s progress in meeting strategic digital accessibility goals.  
• Co-chair the UCI IT Accessibility Work Group and guide the focus and direction of the work group. 
• Represent UCI on UC systemwide committees addressing accessibility issues.  
• Provide trainings on digital accessibility policies.

UCI has established an IT Accessibility Work Group that provides practical and technical input and expertise on IT accessibility tools, challenges, and best practices.  The ADA Coordinator and a member of the IT Accessibility Work Group will serve as co-chairs. The IT Accessibility Work Group will elect the co-chair who is not the ADA Coordinator for a term of one year. It is the responsibility of this work group to: 

• Meet regularly to identify and troubleshoot common digital accessibility challenges, share reviews and assessments of promising tools, and provide consultation on campuswide IT accessibility plans and processes.  
• Design, guide and govern digital accessibility processes.  
• Recommend digital accessibility procedures, tools and best practices.  
• Engage in campuswide digital accessibility outreach and awareness campaigns.  
• Have members serve on UC systemwide digital accessibility committee(s) or work group(s), as called upon and appointed by the co-chairs.

The Chief Information Officers have oversight of IT support across the enterprise.  In that role, the CIO has responsibility to support digital accessibility of UCI’s IT infrastructure.  This may include: 

• Recommend IT staff to serve on the IT Accessibility Work group to the ADA coordinator.
• Oversight for digital accessibility technical support.  Services may include providing consultation or direct service to UCI departments on technical aspects of developing or converting UCI websites, digital content, and online programming to be accessible; and researching and implementing software, equipment, and tools that address digital accessibility needs and reasonable accommodation requests, in consultation with a school, department, Human Resources, Disability Services Center, or the ADA Coordinator. 
• Manage web assessment tool(s) and/or consultant(s) to audit/measure the level of ADA compliance/digital accessibility of UCI’s websites based on current UC standards and digital accessibility policy, in consultation with the ADA Coordinator.  
• Provide trainings on digital accessibility practices and tools.

IT Professionals are situated across the UCI enterprise.  As the first line of support for units, these IT professionals should endeavor to:

• Scan and test products, platforms, websites, and web-based applications procured or built by the unit(s) they support for digital accessibility.  
• Incorporate accessibility principles into the development of websites and digital materials produced or used by the unit(s) they support.  
• Provide technical consultation to unit(s) they support on tools and services that support digital accessibility, such as creating accessible documents, emails, videos (including captioning), and websites.

The Disability Services Center works with registered students with disabilities to ensure that they are fully integrated at UCI. This department is responsible for evaluating and coordinating the delivery of reasonable accommodation requests for students with disabilities. In the context of digital accessibility, these responsibilities include:

• Working with students to determine individualized, appropriate reasonable accommodations, including assistive technology, through the interactive process.
• Coordinating with departments, staff, and faculty to ensure that students registered with the Disability Services Center receive any equipment, supports, and services to fulfill granted accommodation requests, such as but not limited to captioning, accessible documents, and accessible testing options.

Human Resources provides guidance to employees and departments concerning the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace. This department is responsible for evaluating and coordinating the delivery of reasonable accommodation requests for employees with disabilities. In the context of digital accessibility, these responsibilities include:

• Working with employees to determine individualized, appropriate reasonable accommodations, including assistive technology, through the interactive process.
• Coordinating with departments, staff, and faculty to ensure that UCI employees receive any equipment, supports, and services to fulfill granted accommodation requests, such as but not limited to captioning, accessible documents, and accessible meeting platforms.

The Chief Procurement Officers have oversight of the University’s procurement processes and procedures for the acquisition of products and services.  In that role, the CPO has responsibility to incorporate digital accessibility assessment into the vetting of vendors and products.  This may include:

• Oversee technology procurement process to assess if products or services to be purchased meet the University’s digital accessibility standards.  
• Provide guidance to departments on how to obtain digital accessibility assessments from external vendors or service providers. 
• Negotiate with external vendors or service providers to address the digital accessibility standards of the University for enterprise-wide purchases or services.

Department Administrators have general oversight of unit operations and finances.  As such, these positions have the obligation as part of their general management objectives to support UCI’s reasonable accommodations and digital accessibility policies on a day-to-day basis. Specifically, they should endeavor to:

• Ensure that faculty and staff have access to the training and resources necessary to support digital accessibility of the department’s website; digital course materials; remote training, instruction and testing (when offered); and/or services.  
• Provide financial and staffing support and resources for instructors to convert courses and course materials into accessible formats for students with disabilities. This includes remote instruction and/or testing, when offered as an online course.  
• Facilitate communication between faculty and the Disability Services Center to provide a reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities who need alternate access to course software or digital course content or materials.    
• Provide financial and staffing support and resources for clinicians to convert patient services and materials into accessible formats for patients and their caregivers with disabilities.  This includes telemedicine consultations, digital health materials and instructions, and patient portals.
• Support managers and supervisors in the interactive process to identify a reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities who need electronic access to software, platforms or digital content required to meet the essential functions for a position.  
• Ensure procurement of software, equipment, or cloud-based services or tools by the department includes an assessment for accessibility by individuals with disabilities.  This may include requesting a VPAT from vendors for products/services to be purchased, identifying alternative and equal access options for individuals with disabilities to use the product/services, and/or receiving other confirmation that the product/service meets the accessibility needs of the user(s) for whom the product/service is being purchased.

Faculty and instructors develop and deliver instructional content and may also provide internships and research opportunities to UCI students.  When students with disabilities enroll in their courses or are selected for internships or research opportunities in their programs or labs, the faculty member should endeavor to: 

• Refer students with disabilities who request a reasonable accommodation or course materials in an alternate format to the Disability Services Center.  
• Work in good faith with the Disability Services Center to provide a reasonable accommodation for a student who has registered with the Disability Services Center, which may include providing course instruction, content or materials in a digitally accessible format.  
• Notify their department administrator when they need additional support for providing electronic access to course content and/or materials for a student with disabilities.  

Those who develop instructional materials should also incorporate universal design principles and ensure all learners have an equal opportunity to succeed. Wherever possible, course assignments should also be fully accessibility. For example, if creating a video is an assigned course project, that student’s video should also be captioned.

UCI provides a number of services and programs to the broader community, including patient care, arts, athletics, lectures, camps, and other offerings.  To ensure individuals with disabilities have access to these services and programs, providers should endeavor to: 

• Incorporate accessible seating, paths of travel, communication (e.g., sign language, captioning, audio descriptions) and equipment into their services/programs.     
• Use effective communication methods to inform the public, including patients, patrons, participants, and visitors, on how to request a reasonable accommodation.
• Use effective communication methods to inform the public about accessible parking locations, paths of travel, and tools to access the services/programs.

All supervisors and managers have the obligation as part of their general management objectives to support UCI’s reasonable accommodations and digital accessibility policies on a day-to-day basis. Specifically, they should endeavor to:

• Engage in the interactive process to identify a reasonable accommodation for any employee who needs electronic access to equipment, software, or digital content/platform required to meet the essential functions for the position.  
• Support the professional development of employees in accessibility awareness, inclusion and best practices, including digital accessibility considerations, tools and formats.

All employees of UCI support the mission of the University, as well as its commitment to advance an inclusive environment for all members of the UCI community, including individuals with disabilities.  As such, each employee of the university has the opportunity and responsibility to support and incorporate accessibility practices into their work product and service delivery, including digital accessibility.