Policies & Procedures

AA4005 Library Accessibility Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish accessibility policy and standards for library collections, services, and facilities for all library users in order to ensure equal, effective, and inclusive access.

Statement of the Policy

The SUNY Broome Library is committed to providing equal access to library collections, services, and facilities for all library users. It is a priority for the SUNY Broome Library to select and acquire, whenever possible, resources and technologies that are accessible, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, federal and state laws, and the SUNY EIT Accessibility Policy, adopted by the SUNY Trustees in June 2019. For library collections that are not accessible, we are committed to providing alternate equal access to materials, reasonable accommodations and timely access to users with disabilities.

Related Policies (by number)

• IT9001 EIT Accessibility Policy
• IT9002 Web Accessibility Policy

To whom it applies (title or department)

This policy applies to SUNY Broome Library websites, applications, and digital content created or procured by the Library and its employees, including third-party vendors. EIT Accessibility is the responsibility of administrators, faculty, and staff at the College.

General Guidelines

In accordance with the SUNY EIT Accessibility Policy, the Library will utilize the Standards outlined within the SUNY Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Committee Final Report and Recommendations. The Library will conform to the Standards established and maintained by SUNY, the campus EIT policies and procedures, and will monitor and comply with changes to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (Level AA Conformance). All content created for publication on the library website must follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG AA), and the SUNY Broome Web Accessibility Policy. All instructional materials used on Library websites or applications used in course instruction must be made accessible and follow requirements as outlined within this policy.

The Library will provide alternate formats of library owned physical materials or Interlibrary Loan materials to those who request an alternate format. The Library will identify and purchase materials captioned, or allow and promote the use of ILL to request captioned titles, and include transcripts for media recordings. The Library is committed to developing a collection, which represents the College’s diverse community, academic programs, and research needs. To help foster an awareness of people with disabilities and the need for equal access, the Library will contain a diverse collection that highlights the perspectives of marginalized groups, including people with disabilities. Events sponsored by the Library, including those held in the library will have accessible marketing materials. Workstations in the Library will offer standard Windows tools for accessibility – including screen magnification, narrator, on-screen keyboard, speech recognition, and text to speech software. In addition, workstations will include furniture at the appropriate height for wheelchair access. If assistive technology, which is not available at workstations, is required, such as large type contrast keyboards and text magnification via CCTV, the Library will work with the ARO to provide reasonable accommodations to support Library patrons’ access needs.

Exclusions

As of the date of this policy, newly purchased Library electronic collections, and the Library website will conform to WCAG Level AA standards. The Library will provide remediated, accessible versions of digital/electronic library inaccessible documents and materials prior to this date to library users with disabilities, upon request. Where it is not technically possible to make the content available, a suitable alternative will be agreed upon with the individual.

Procurement

All electronic resources will undergo an annual Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) review by the Electronic Resources Librarian in cooperation with SUNY Library Services (SLS) Accessibility Cohort and in accordance with SUNY Library Services testing and review processes. If accessibility barriers are identified in electronic resources, equally effective alternate access plans will be developed. Furniture procured for the Library will be planned with accessibility and universal design in mind. As such, the Library will work with Facilities, ARO, and appropriate offices to discuss accessibility needs and plans for the physical space. Working in conjunction with ARO, the Library will plan for assistive technology needs within the budgeting and procurement process. Future furniture purchases and other building updates will be evaluated with accessibility standards and universal design principles in mind.

Compliance

The Library is responsible for maintaining accessibility of its resources and services, as well as fielding, documenting, and responding to all reported accessibility concerns. The library shall engage in regular review of the accessibility of its website(s), web and digital content, and electronic resource collections, through manual accessibility checks as well as through the use of automated accessibility tools. A Library Accessibility Liaison(s) will provide EIT related support to Library staff and Library patrons. The Liaison will collaborate with library staff to ensure compliance and to remediate accessibility concerns. Contact information for the Liaison will be available on the Library’s accessibility page at https://sunybroome.info/library/accessibility. Accessibility concerns can be reported to the Library via a link found on the Library Accessibility web page: https://sunybroome.libwizard.com/f/accessibility. On a regular basis, the Library Accessibility Liaison will report Library related accessibility concerns to the EIT Officer and EIT Advisory Council.

Definitions

Accessible: In the case of a program or activity, readily usable by a particular individual, with or without alternate formats; in the case of the web and electronic resources, accessible with or without the use of assistive technology.

Alternate formats: Refers to alternatives to standard print. Information presented in an accessible format (e.g., electronic, audio, large print, Braille).

Assistive technology: Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Electronic and Information Technologies (EIT): Information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. EIT includes, but is not limited to, information resources, such as the internet and intranet websites, content delivered in digital form, search engines and databases, learning management systems, classroom technologies, web, computer, and mobile-based applications allowing for interaction between software and users; and services employing information technology and telecommunications equipment.

EIT Accessibility: Is the practice of sustaining electronic and information technology environments that enable individuals to acquire information, engage in interactions, and enjoy services regardless of whether or not they have a disability. Examples include closed captions on videos, text descriptions for website images (alt text), and text-renderable (searchable) documents.

Equally Effective Alternate Access: The alternative format communicates the same information in as timely a fashion as does the original Web page. For interactive applications and hardware devices, “equally effective” means that the user action (e.g., registration) is accomplished in a comparable time and with comparable effort on the part of the user.

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT): A document which details conformance to accessibility standards set by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and allows for a comprehensive review of the level of compliance of a product/service prior to procurement.

Appendix

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, As Amended
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 Level AA Conformance
• 6901: SUNY Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Policy