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Guide to Accessibility Compliance for CATE Users:
Introduction
| Introduction Basic Users Advanced Users FAQ Resources |
This document applies strictly to compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as it relates to the CATE courseware management system. For broader information about Section 508 compliance for SRJC classes, please see the main SRJC accessibility compliance page.
Before beginning, you might want to read our brief notes about CATE and accessibility compliance inspections.
Federal and state law, guidelines from the Office of the Chancellor, and District policy all mandate that all Web-based material for SRJC classes must be made accessible to students with disabilities.
Therefore, Web-based materials falling within either of these two categories are subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act:
For all Web-based material subject to Section 508 standards, the following points apply:
In sum, that means all class material hosted on the CATE server (online.santarosa.edu), whether created dynamically in the CATE system (using the Section Homepage module, Presentation module, etc) or uploaded to the server (using the File Management module) must always be compliant with Section 508 standards.
A variety of Web-based tools are available for testing online materials to determine if they are compliant with 508 standards. At this time SRJC utilizes the "Wave" tool for that purpose.
You can test your Web-based materials with that tool at the Wave website, or you can install the Wave testing plug-in directly into your browser for ease of access. (The website works with any browser; the plug-in only works with Firefox.)
Beginning with fall 2009, SRJC is performing inspections to ensure online classes are fully compliant. Here's the form actually used during the inspection process:
SRJC policy mandates that class websites will be inspected on a regular basis by trained personnel in order to determine compliance. Under those policies, non-compliant material must be brought into compliance or else removed from SRJC computer systems. Furthermore, faculty can be prohibited from teaching classes which utilize non-compliant material. For more information about enforcing compliance, see the main SRJC accessibility compliance page.
If you use the CATE system to create and maintain webpages, accessibility compliance is usually very simple. However, it's necessary to divide CATE users into two categories. Most are "basic" users. If you do one or more of the following, you are an "advanced" user:
If you fall into any of those three categories (above), you are an advanced user and it's your responsibility to understand and abide by the Section 508 standards in order to ensure compliance.
If you are a basic CATE user, please go to the Basic Users page to review the simple steps for ensuring your material is compliant.
If you are an advanced CATE user, please go to the Advanced Users page for further information about making your material compliant.
For further instructions or related information, check the Help Main Menu.
| Distance Education office Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA USA Last Modified: Tuesday, 22-Sep-2009 13:06:30 PDT |
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