Accessibility at Alpena Community College
As a public institution, Alpena Community College is required to make sure that what we do is accessible for everyone. All websites, webpages, documents, and anything else that we produce that can be shared digitally must meet certain accessibility standards. Accessibility means that text content must be navigable by screen readers and by hotkeys for the mobility impaired, pictures must have an accompanying description, links must be descriptive and identifiable, and that videos must be captioned or provide a text transcription. ACC is currently in the process of adapting a Website Accessibility Policy that will ensure that we are compliant with Section 508. This policy will also help us ensure that anything we produce can be accessible by anybody, allowing us to help any student or visitor with a desire to learn.
The policy applies to any website or application that conducts or involves college business. A school, organization, office, or course website, for example, would be covered by the policy. If you’re not sure whether your site falls under the policy, contact either the Office of Public Information or the Office of Information Technology.
Examples of digital content include:
- The External Website
- The Internal Website/Sharepoint
- Blackboard and all content posted to Blackboard
- Any videos that are posted digitally
- It's the right thing to do.
- It's the smart thing to do.
- It's the law.
All new content that is posted on or after January 1, 2019 must be accessible when it is posted.
All existing content must be made accessible by November 14, 2020.
The sooner we begin replacing content, the easier it will be on everyone in the long run.
Training will be available to help you make all of your digital content accessible.
- Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker
- Microsoft Word Best Practices
- WebAIM - Web Accessibility in Mind
- WebAIM Color Contrast Checker
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool