What Is Digital Accessibility?
Digital accessibility is the practice of designing, building, and procuring digital products free from barriers that impede or block access for people with disabilities. When digital experiences are designed and developed with accessibility in mind, the experience is generally more usable for everyone regardless of technology preference, including users of assistive technology. Digital accessibility practices apply to all digital environments including the Web, web-based software, desktop software, mobile apps, online forms, electronic documents, multimedia, email, and social media content.
Legal Responsibility
The University must ensure its digital environments are accessible to people with disabilities under state and federal laws. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, require colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions to provide equal opportunities to people with disabilities in all their operations, including equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from online services, programs, and activities.
What We Do
The ITS Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) team supports the campus community in creating, procuring, and maintaining accessible digital environments. DAS services include:
- Work with internal teams to design, build, and deliver accessible enterprise digital experiences through consultation, testing, and code remediation.
- Identify and deliver technologies and other solutions that support campus-wide digital accessibility initiatives.
- Oversee the accessible ICT procurement process and vendor commitments.
- Monitor the accessibility of University enterprise digital assets.
- Support a campus-wide network of Digital Accessibility Liaisons and partners.
Contact Us
For questions related to digital accessibility at Syracuse University, please contact us at accessibleIT@syr.edu, or visit our Digital Accessibility Office Hours.