Reminder: required accessibility training deadline Nov. 1

HFC is required to provide training for all faculty and staff regarding our Electronic Information Technology Policy and individual responsibilities.

All employees who create any form of digital content must complete this training each year. The College is required to report compliance with this mandate to the government. 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.

Accessibility is 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 our technology is accessible to everyone.

It is our responsibility to incorporate accessibility practices and techniques into our materials, if you are a faculty or staff member who:

• Creates or updates websites affiliated with an HFC activity.
• Posts word processing documents, electronic presentations, spreadsheets, or audio/video files to the College website, online services, or learning management system.
• Purchases or develops any type of software or application for College use.

Training

It is important to start with understanding the College’s responsibilities for accessibility. All faculty and staff will be required to complete an Introduction to Accessibility module online, including a short quiz. The session should take less than 20 minutes.

To access training:

1. Go to Accessibility 101 - 2022/2023 Compliance in HFC Online (Moodle).
2. Read through the first module and take the quiz.
3. Once you have passed the quiz at the end of the first module, you have completed the College required portion of training.

Staff/Administrators: Please contact Rachel Ford at raford3@hfcc.edu if you have any issues getting started in the course or have questions about training.

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

Timeline

Please complete the training as soon as possible. The deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 1. Because all employees must complete this training annually, we will send reminders each year with a link to the training and the quiz.

Ongoing individual accessibility training

Optional training sessions are available on topics such as Creating Accessible Word Documents, PowerPoints, Excel Spreadsheets, and more. These sessions are not required, but they are recommended so you will become more efficient and effective in creating accessible content for all audiences.

Drop-in training is also available on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. via Teams.

A series of posts about specific accessibility topics is available in the Accessibility SharePoint site. Check out the recent posts on Document Titles and Reading Order!

College accessibility policies

College Accessibility Policies include:

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

Thank you for taking the time to make our College more accessible for all.