IT Project: Digital Accessibility Strategy – Information Technology Services

At the highest level, UC Santa Cruz is committed to improving digital accessibility. Every day, students, faculty, staff, and community members with disabilities navigate digital barriers that prevent them from fully participating in university life. These new requirements support our commitment to inclusion and ensure all students, faculty, and staff can fully participate in university life. Learn what you can do to support accessibility in the Make IT Accessible guide

Objectives

A shared understanding of the individual roles and responsibilities about digital accessibility
Make digital accessibility proactive and integrated, improving access, removing barriers, and lessening the need for accommodation and remediation
Mitigate risk in alignment with federal, state and system accessibility regulations and policy
Improve the digital experience for students, faculty and staff with disabilities
Foster an inclusive campus climate that embraces and values diversity and equity

Approach

Gather and analyze data to assess the current state of digital accessibility
Operational strategy including roadmaps for improvement, defining roles and responsibilities, governance, process maps, maturity modeling, resource needs, training, and communication plans
Phased implementation of the strategy
Summary reports, and recommendations
Continual improvement based on metrics and feedback

Timeline

February – March 2024

Accessibility assessment and summary report

Gathering information about the current state of accessibility via survey, listening sessions, and other information gathering.

Report: Digital Accessibility at UC Santa Cruz: Findings and Recommendations (login required)

June 2024 – May 2025

Develop comprehensive digital accessibility strategy

Planning for how to improve digital accessibility, and awareness of updates to the UC IT Accessibility Policy, UC Terms and Conditions, and clarity around how federal regulations apply to higher education. See Overview of the Digital Accessibility Strategy (login required)

March 2024- February 2025

Phased implementation of the strategy

Analysis of our current state in collaboration with campus partners, and development of support resources to support our desired future state, while phasing in operational and digital content activities to support advancement of the strategy

March 2026

Project summary and recommendations

Share of deliverables including detailed process maps, maturity models, timelines, and resource needs to support operationalization of the strategy and continual improvements

April 2026

Operationalization of the strategy, continual improvements

Executive Sponsors

Vice Chancellor of Information Technology
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Associate Vice Chancellor of Information Technology – Experience, Strategy & Design

Resources

UCSC Digital Accessibility Strategy and Program Plan (Google Slides)
Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps (U.S. Department of Justice)
Digital accessibility video series (U.S. Department of Education)
University of California Information Technology Accessibility Policy updates (requirements around processes, programmatic elements around digital accessibility, and procurement)
University of California Terms and Conditions: Section 11.6 updates (procurement and contracts)
UC Santa Cruz Guides: Digital Accessibility Fundamentals and Make IT Accessible
Frequently asked questions