Round 4
Dec 2000
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Office of the Provost
Compact Plan
Part Two: Initiatives
A. Initiatives Supporting University Goals
University Goal: Promoting Diversity and Inclusiveness
2. Improve ADA / IT Coordination and Assistive Technologies
What will be achieved, how, and why it is important to the university:
ITD in partnership with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Disability Services for Students and computing technical support staff in the colleges, has developed a plan to coordinate the university's efforts to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) as related to access and use of information technologies.
The first stage of this initiative is already in progress. We received approval for a new campus-wide EPA adaptive technology position, with the title of Assistive and Information Technology Coordinator. After a national search, an excellent candidate, Terry Thompson, accepted the position and began work on May 1, 2000. The emphasis of this position is on technical expertise, although the position also requires leadership skills, knowledge of ADA, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and provisions of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (P.L.103-218).
The new Assistive and Information Technology Coordinator reports jointly to the university's ADA Coordinator. The coordinator is expected to be a practitioner who has a proactive and preemptive involvement with students, colleges, and administration:
· Working directly with students as assistive technology expert, advocate, coordinator, mentor, etc.
· Providing continuous tracking of students
· Developing both customized and replicable strategies/solutions
· Identifying specific college needs and solutions
· Working with teaching faculty to help accommodate special requirements.
This initiative is important to the university for two compelling reasons:
· To further the goal of promoting a diverse and inclusive learning environment and community at NC State
· To assure that the university fulfills its legal obligation to put forth a good-faith effort to make accommodations to insure students with disabilities an equal educational opportunity, which includes equal access to electronic and information technology.
Impact or outcomes for students, faculty, staff, external clients or others
The goals of this Initiative:
· Provide the university with the leadership, technical expertise and support in the area of assistive technology and ADA compliance as it relates to information technology
· Insure that computing and information technology resources are accessible to all otherwise qualified students, faculty, and staff, regardless of disability
· Insure that these individuals have use of appropriate assistive computing technologies to provide access to the university's courses and programs
· Develop clear mechanisms of technical support for colleges and faculty who must under law provide equitable access to course content for otherwise qualified students with disabilities.
· Establish and implement procedures and best practices related to providing accessible computing facilities and online materials
· Establish appropriate training programs for students, faculty and technical support staff.
Resources needed
· Funding for highly qualified assistive technology/information technology specialist
· Budget for assistive technology specialist
· Budget for providing student computing labs on campus with appropriate hardware and software assistive technologies (ETF).
Deliverables
· Hire Assistive and Information Technology Coordinator (May, 2000)
· Collaborate with Coordinator to establish and implement procedures and best practices related to providing accessible computing facilities and online materials (ongoing)
· Collaborate with Coordinator as needed to achieve other goals of this initiative. (ongoing)