So you have a policy on ICT, what do you do when everything becomes an exception?

Presented at 2:15pm in Cotton Creek II on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Speaker(s)

• Jamie Axelrod, Director, Disability Resources, ADA Coordinator/504 Compliance Officer, Northern Arizona University

Session Details

• Length of Session: 2-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: All Levels
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Campuses around the country have worked to establish procedures for the procurement and implementation of accessible ICT. However, once accessibility review processes are in place, it quickly becomes evident that most products on the market are not fully accessible. This presentation will discuss this reality and how it can be addressed.

Abstract

Campuses around the country are following the available guidance from enforcement agencies and settlement agreements to institute policies and procedures that ensure the procurement and implementation of accessible ICT. In the past five years, there has been alot of training available to help professionals with this responsibility understand how to design and implement an effective process for reviewing and assessing products and services.

Once those processes are implemented however, it quickly becomes apparent that a good portion of the products being assessed will not be fully accessible. this can feel very frustrating. After all the effort which went into creating policies and procedures and having them adopted on campus, we are still p[urchasing inaccessible products.

So what do we do? This presentation will focus on the next steps necessary to influence developers, vendors and the campus community while creating accessible alternatives in the mentime.

Keypoints

1. The marketplace is still comprised of mainly inaccessible ICT products.
2. Right now, exceptions to purchasing policies are the rule, how will you manage that?
3. Little training currently exists on how to influence and help vendors make their products accessible.

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Mobility, Vision

Topic Areas

Administrative/Campus Policy, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Jamie Axelrod

Jamie Axelrod earned a B.A. in Psychology from New York University and an M.S. in Counseling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After graduating with his M.S., Jamie worked for the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic department in the Student Affairs office. He then worked as a mental health therapist in Valparaiso, Indiana and Lander, Wyoming. After thirteen years at community mental health centers Jamie went to work for Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc., a disability rights advocacy law firm. At Protection and Advocacy Systems, Jamie served as an advocate assisting individuals with disabilities with claims that their civil rights had been violated.

Jamie joined the Disability Resources team at Northern Arizona University in August of 2007 as a Program Coordinator and became the Director of the Disability Resources program in October of 2009. Jamie served as co-chair of N.A,U.’s Commission on Disability Access and Design from 2011-2015. Jamie has served on the Board of Directors for the Association on Higher Education and Disability since 2010 and is currently the President.