Accessibility training is required for all HFC employees

The U.S. federal government requires HFC to train all staff and faculty every year regarding our Electronic Information Technology Policy and individual responsibilities.

All employees who create digital content, including email and filling out online forms, must complete this training each year. The College is required to report compliance with this mandate to the government.

Inclusion in action

Accessibility is not just about assisting people with impairments or disabilities. Accessibility is important for student success. It is also very important to HFC as a Welcoming College. We are required by law to make sure all of our technology and content is accessible to everyone.

It is our responsibility to incorporate “e-Accessibility” practices and techniques into the following materials, if you are a faculty or staff member who:

• Creates or updates websites at HFC.
• Posts electronic word processing documents, electronic presentations, spreadsheets, or audio/video files to the College website, learning management system, social media, or in any other electronic format such as email or forms.
• Purchases or develops any type of software or application for College use.

Students, staff, faculty and other members of the community may report accessibility violations to the College via the Accessibility Complaint Form and the Office of Civil Rights.

Required training: 20 to 30 minutes total

It is important to start with understanding the College’s responsibilities for accessibility. All faculty and staff are required to complete an Introduction to Accessibility module online, including a short quiz. The session should take approximately 20-30 minutes. The training course automatically appears in your HFC Online/Moodle dashboard during the training period, which runs from now until Nov. 1, 2024.

To access and complete the training:

1. Go to Accessibility 101 – 2024-25 Compliance in HFC Online (Moodle).
2. Read through the module and take the quiz.
3. Once you have passed the quiz at the end of the module, you will have completed the required portion of the training!

For added value, we recommend that you review and engage with the information in the Accessibility Sharepoint drive, including the blog. See information in the Customized Training section below.

Timeline

We strongly recommend that you complete the training as soon as possible. The deadline will be Friday, November 1.

Because all employees are required to complete this training annually, we will send reminders each year with the information above, as well as a link to the training and the quiz.

Customized training and help available all year

Additional training materials are available on topics such as Creating Accessible Word Documents, PowerPoints, Excel Spreadsheets, and more in the Accessibility OneDrive. These materials will help you become efficient and effective in creating accessible content for all audiences. Drop-in training for staff is also available with HFC Web Accessibility Manager Rachel Ford, who can be reached at raford3@hfcc.edu.

If you are looking for an easy way to get started with creating accessible materials, check out Creating Accessible Word Documents and Creating Accessible Multimedia.

Brief, non-technical resources to help you understand specific accessibility topics are added throughout the year in the HFC Accessibility SharePoint site. Check out the recent posts on the Accessibility Audit and checking documents for accessibility.

College Accessibility Policies

Please take the time to read about the College Accessibility Policies:

• Electronic Information and Technology Accessibility
• Support and Accessibility for the Disabled of Campus Programs and Facilities

Questions from Staff/Administrators:

Please contact Rachel Ford (raford3@hfcc.edu) if you have any issues getting started in the course or have questions about training.

Questions from Faculty:

Please contact Victoria Bessette (bessette@hfcc.edu) if you have any issues getting started in the course or have questions about training.

Thank you for taking the time to comply with federal requirements and to make our College more accessible for all.