An A11Y-ance

Abstract

As purchasers of services and equipment, application developers, and end-user support providers, information technology professionals at all levels hold unique positions in regards to the possible role of an accessibility advocate. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 laid the foundation for which numerous other laws and guidelines have been built [1]. It is in the best interest of Universities to not only meet these guidelines, but to be an example of how these guidelines can empower a wide range of individuals. Rutgers University has been building a team of professionals whose main goal has been to not only address accessibility needs, but to be engaged with a wide range of groups across campus. They are regularly promoting accessibility; actively educating and engaging with faculty, staff, and students. By bringing awareness of accessibility concepts to every level of their campus community, Rutgers University strives to provide the best opportunity to meet the needs of its members in addressing unintended access barriers. Princeton University has undertaken an arguably successful campaign to certify a wide range of their IT Support professionals as Certified Professionals in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). As a result, Princeton University holds the largest number of CPACC certified professionals in a single organization in the world with just over 90 certified as of February 19, 2019 [2]. The training and certification program at Princeton has been designed to promote accessibility wherever technology is developed, supported, or purchased by decentralizing broad expertise across a wide population in the campus community. Though Princeton and Rutgers are embarking in granularly different approaches to meeting accessibility needs and requirements the goal is the same: to not become a barrier that dissuades or blocks access to spaces in the digital, mental, and physical realm; affording everyone the chance to participate equally and freely.