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POLICY: Information and Communication Standards

APPROVED BY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:   December 5, 2012

SUPERSEDES POLICY:      NEW

PURPOSE

This policy is intended to meet the requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11 set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, as they apply to ˽��ӰԺ. This policy applies to the Information and Communications Standards as they apply to ˽��ӰԺ as set out in Part II, Sections 11 to 18.

SCOPE

˽��ӰԺ is an educational / training institution as defined in the Education Act. This policy shall apply to every person who deals with members of the public or their agents on behalf of ˽��ӰԺ, whether the person is a student, employee, agent, volunteer or otherwise.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

All information and communications materials and services provided by ˽��ӰԺ shall follow the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION STANDARDS (Part II)

Policies addressing the Information and Communication Standards of the IASR as they apply to ˽��ӰԺ are outlined below:

1.            Feedback Processes (Section 11)

2.            Accessible Formats and Communication Supports (Section 12)

3.            Accessible Websites and Web Content (Section 14)

4.            Emergency Procedures, Plans or Public Safety Information (Section 13)

5.            Education and Training Resources (Sections 15 and 17)

6.            Training for Educators (Section 16)

7.            College Libraries (Section 18)

1.            Feedback Process (Section 11)

˽��ӰԺ will make feedback processes accessible to people with disabilities by providing, or arranging to provide, accessible formats and communications supports, upon request. ˽��ӰԺ will notify the public about the availability of these accessible formats.

 2.           Accessible Formats and Communication Supports (Section 12)

˽��ӰԺ will provide or arrange to provide, upon request, accessible formats and communication supports in a timely manner and at no additional cost to a person with a disability. ˽��ӰԺ will take into account the person’s accessibility needs when addressing the request.

3.            Emergency Procedures, Plans and Public Safety Information (Section 13)

˽��ӰԺ will provide public emergency procedures, plans and public safety information in an accessible format or with appropriate communication supports as soon as practicable, upon request.

4.            Accessible Websites and Web Content (Section 14)

˽��ӰԺ, and all of its departments, will ensure that web content conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level A. Web content includes any information which resides on an extranet or intranet web site.

5.            Education and Training Resources and Materials (Sections 15 and 17)

˽��ӰԺ will provide training materials and learning resources in accessible formats that take into account the needs of students with disabilities.

Student records and program information such as course requirements, descriptions and availability will be made available in accessible formats, upon request.

6.            Training for Faculty and Instructors (Section 16)

˽��ӰԺ will provide accessibility awareness training related to accessible program or course delivery and instruction to faculty and instructors.

˽��ӰԺ will keep a record of the training provided, including the dates on which the training was provided, and the number of individuals to whom it was provided.

7.            College Libraries (Section 18)

˽��ӰԺ will ensure that the library within the college will provide accessible or conversion-ready materials within its collections for individuals with disabilities, as soon as practicable upon request. These may include print materials, digital or multimedia resources, or specific materials for a person with a disability.

Definitions

Accessible formats – include, but are not limited to, large print, recorded audio and electronic formats, braille and other formats usable by persons with disabilities.

Communication supports – include, but are not limited to, captioning, alternative and augmentative communication supports, plain language, sign language and other supports that facilitate effective communications.

Conversion-ready – refers to an electronic or digital format that facilitates conversion into an accessible format that is acceptable to the person with the disability.

Extranet website – refers to a controlled extension of the intranet, or internal network of an organization to outside users over the Internet.

Information – includes data, facts and knowledge that conveys meaning and exists in any format, including text, audio, digital or images.

Internet website – refers to a collection of related Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and are accessible to the public.

Intranet website – refers to an organization’s internal website that is used to privately and securely share any part of the organization’s information or operational systems within the organization, and includes extranet websites.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – refers to the World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation, dated December 2008, entitled “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.”