Following a concern over the accessibility of University websites raised at the Oct. 6, 2011 faculty meeting by Provost Steve Goldstein '78, Dean of Academic Services Kim Godsoe has created an advisory group to evaluate University websites for compliance with federal standards from the U.S. Department of Education.

Godsoe chairs the Technology Accessibility Committee; other members include Associate Vice President of Communications Bill Burger, Director of Integrated Marketing Audrey Griffin-Goode, Associate General Legal Council Steven Locke, Director for Integrated Services in Library and Technology Services Josh Wilson, Assistant Provost for Graduate Student Affairs Alwina Bennett, Undergraduate Summer School Director Gwenn Smaxwill, Prof. Judith Tsipis (BIOL) and Prof. Susan Parish (Heller).

According to Godsoe, the committee was formed to evaluate forms of University technology, especially websites, for their accessibility.

Website accessibility has to do with how students who use readers, which change text to speech, are able to access and navigate the various University websites. The Admissions website, newly designed and released, was designed to keep all of these compliance standards in mind. Many other websites have been evaluated, however, and many websites remain unevaluated.

"Overall our webpages are OK," Godsoe said in an interview with the Justice, going on to say that there are still "pockets where we [the Committee] need to do some work," continuing to tag pictures with supplemental information for those with vision impairments, for example. The first phase of website evaluation is anticipated to be completed by 2013, Godsoe explained.

"It's not a project that is discrete," Godsoe said, "the Web is always changing ... it's not like you can say that after a certain date its done; this is ongoing."

For the most part, members of the Committee who work in the Office of Communications or LTS are overseeing the evaluation process.

In an email to the Justice, Burger wrote that "Communications and LTS are in the final stages of evaluating and selecting a product that will enable the University to systematically review our websites and establish a baseline for where we stand today." Following this basic evaluation, a training program for University web editors will be put in place to ensure that as web content changes, accessibility of individual sites remains the same.

Noting the ongoing nature of the accessibility process, Burger went on to write, "In addition to addressing the University's public websites, the committee is also looking at accessibility requirements for other University services, particularly LATTE and sage."

These changes were brought into focus by a June 2010 letter posted on the U.S. Department of Education's website, which stated, "It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students."

Godsoe said that there have not been any complaints from inside or outside of the institution that have brought on this evaluation process.

Rather, she said, "We're Brandeis, we care about social justice. We want to make sure things are accessible to everybody."

Burger echoed this sentiment in his email, writing, "Accessibility of websites and learning materials is an important issue for every college and university. Students with disabilities should not be disadvantaged. For that reason, we don't look at this as a one-time project, but rather a long-term commitment to the community."