Building an Empowered and Inclusive Digital Campus for All
At Rice, we believe that an empowered campus is one where every individual has equal access to information, opportunity, and community. We are launching a critical Digital Accessibility Campus Initiative to ensure all of our university's websites, digital content, and mobile applications are accessible to every member of the Rice community. An accessible campus is an empowered campus, where every individual can reach their full potential.
This commitment is about more than meeting regulations—it’s about embodying Rice's core values. This initiative directly aligns with our Momentous strategic plan to foster belonging, inclusion, and a culture of care. We believe digital accessibility is a human right, essential for unlocking talent, driving innovation, and enriching the experiences of all.
A Shared Responsibility
Creating a digitally inclusive environment is a shared commitment that touches every corner of our campus. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. From faculty and staff creating course materials to students engaging with online platforms, each of us has a vital role.
Many of you are creators of digital content, managers of websites, or decision-makers in technology purchasing. As such, you are essential partners in ensuring that all digital tools and content are usable by everyone. Our collective goal is to shift our focus to design and procure with accessibility in mind from the start, preventing barriers before they arise. This isn't just about compliance; it's about creating better, more inclusive experiences for our entire community.
Where Accessibility Matters
To guide our efforts and ensure a consistent standard of excellence, Rice is committed to meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.
This work supports our commitment to federal regulations, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as our own University Policy 851.
Digital accessibility encompasses every digital touchpoint at Rice. Key areas of focus for this initiative include:
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Websites: All public-facing and internal university websites.
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Electronic Documents: Conventional files such as PDFs, forms, and surveys.
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Online Courses: Materials within learning management systems like Canvas and edX.
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Media: Social media platforms, posts, and university videos.
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On-Campus Technology: Kiosks and digital signage.
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Procurement and Contracts: Ensuring all new software, applications, and services we acquire are accessible from day one.
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Information Communication Technologies (ICTs): A broad category including all software and digital tools used across the University.
Empower Your Journey: Ways to Get Involved
We are dedicated to providing the guidance, support, and training you need to become a champion for accessibility. Our goal is to empower you to design and create accessible content from the very beginning.
Here’s how you can get started and become an active participant in building an inclusive Rice:
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Assess your current digital content: review the content you make available on websites, courses, digital signage, etc. Remove or archive content that is out of date or no longer needed. Test the accessibility of the items and begin to document priority for fixing/remediating.
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Create accessible digital content: integrate standards and best practices for creating accessible documents, multimedia, websites, forms, social media, and communications from the start. Review how-to guides to ensure the content you create and share is accessible.
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Learn accessiblity concepts and skills: sign up and attend relevant training webinars, workshops, and consultations provided through our partnership with Level Access and led by our own accessibility team.
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Attend a Getting Started session: join us for Getting Started sessions to receive foundational guidance on disability, accessibility standards, best practices, and your responsibilities in upholding Policy 851.