College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

COE Accessibility Info

UH Accessibility Standard

The applicable guidance is the World Wide Web standards defined in the Federal Rehabilitation Act Section 508, specifically subsections 1194.22 and subsection 1194.31. Section 508 is the standard for federal government websites and technology. UH looks to this standard for reliable guidance on meeting accessibility commitments and compliance.

This standard was recently refreshed to include Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a globally recognized voluntary consensus standard for web content and information communication technology created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The WCAG 2.0 Level AA standard and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 techniques for web content, are used to measure accessibility and functionality of online content.

WCAG provides recommendations for content accessibility. It is, however, no substitute for human decision making that would produce better outcomes. The university’s primary obligation is to ensure a high-quality user experience for all users, including those with disabilities.  (University of Hawaii’s accessibility standard)

College of Education Statement on Accessibility

Except where noted, for all content presented directly from our site (coe.hawaii.edu), we are committed to being compliant with the WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines for web accessibility and believe we are presently WCAG 2.0 compliant.  Maintaining this accessibility standard, however, requires regular review and remediation. While our College reviews our sites periodically, we appreciate our constituents assistance in notifying us where additional review is warranted. We are aware of third-party tools used on our site that are not yet compliant, and we are working with our providers to bring their products into compliance.

All new or revised Web pages and other Web resources published, hosted or otherwise provided by the College of Education must be in compliance with the standards defined in Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), specifically subsections 1194.22 and 1194.31 of the regulations (36 CFR 1194) implementing section 508. All new videos must include effective captioning of content.

Legacy Digital Content Accessibility Policy

Upon specific request, information on legacy Web pages and resources will be made available to any individual needing access to such content, by revision or otherwise, in a time frame commensurate with the nature of the request. The unit responsible for creating the information on the Web is responsible for providing that alternative means of access.

  1. Each web site must contain a link or contact information to request an alternative means of access.
  2. Formal requests for alternate access to public web pages or resources will be addressed as soon as possible with an equally effective alternative means of access. “Equally effective” means that it communicates the same information and provides equivalent functions in as timely a fashion as does the web page or resource.
  3. Information on web pages and resources in archive status (e.g. no longer in use but subject to records retention plans containing core administrative or academic information, official records, and similar information) will be made available/accessible to any individual needing access to such content, by revision or otherwise. What constitutes a web page or other web resource is to be interpreted broadly.
  4. For items 2 and 3 above, undue administrative or financial burdens may contribute to a determination that alternative means of access be used to provide the information to individuals requiring use of the information. If compliance in specific instances appears to be impossible or an undue burden, the College of Education Dean may grant exceptions, which shall be documented.

Authority

This policy is issued by the Dean of the COE. Non-compliant portions of Web pages and resources will be brought into compliance by designated staff or contractors at the expense of the COE unit responsible for the information on the Web.

Contact

Please direct questions about this policy or accessibility requests to coeacc@hawaii.edu.

Requests relating to course content, or related questions should be referred to UHM’s KOKUA Program

UH Resources

Contact information for the University of Hawaii’s ADA and 504 coordinators.

The University of Hawaii Accessibility Homepage