Technology is reshaping the landscape of higher education, and Metro State is working to ensure the new scenery stays free of barriers and accessible to all students.

The Metro State Technology Accessibility Initiative started in fall 2011 and a 14-person committee was formed to make sure technology is accessible to students with disabilities.

As a result of the committee’s work, Metro State has adopted an institutional accessibility statement, and the committee is drafting a policy on the accessibility of current and future online content. In addition, the committee will address purchasing processes that consider the accessibility of software and other technology-related services. A central website for all accessibility-related resources for students, faculty and staff also is in the works.

“Most of the information and the services we provide have an online component,” says James Lyall, committee chair and chief information officer and associate vice president of academic computing. As new technology is developed and acquired, there will be purchasing guidelines in place to ensure accessibility.

“Metro has always been on the cutting edge, and we’ve always tried to be in compliance and we will always continue to meet that goal,” says Percy Morehouse, executive director of equal opportunity and assistant to the president.

The Department of Education issued new accessibility requirements for all institutions of higher education and K-12, Morehouse explains. Just as buildings have been renovated and built for accessibility, technology will be treated the same way, Morehouse says.

“You don’t wait until you get a request from a student who needs an accommodation; the technology should already be accessible,” Morehouse says.

Greg Sullivan, director of the Access Center for Disability Accommodations and Adaptive Technology and a member of the committee, says there are approximately 1,300 students who self-identify as having a disability and are registered with the Access Center.

Sullivan says the initiative is a proactive measure and is pleased Metro State is committed to providing an accessible educational environment for everyone. The federal mandate for accessibility is unfunded, but Sullivan says the institution has always fully supported his office with the resources needed to accommodate students with disabilities.

One accessibility issue involves online materials for courses. Faculty members are sometimes unaware of how certain formats of instructional materials are inaccessible to students who use various types of adaptive technology. But once faculty become aware, they are very responsive, Sullivan says.