As required by System Regulation 29.01.04, Accessibility of Electronic and Information Resources, Tarleton shall comply with the Title 1, Rule §206.70 of the Texas Administrative Code, Accessibility and Usability of Institution of Higher Education Web Sites, which implements the access standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

EIR Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC)

All Texas A&M University System members have an EIR Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC), and they collaborate on ways to improve procedures the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) describes in their roles and responsibilities. Tarleton State University’s EIRAC is Jackie George.

ICT Refresh

By its many names, including Electronic and Information Technology/Resources (EIT / EIR) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Section 508 Refresh has emphasized the importance of broadening its coverage for accessibility standards across:

• Web (e.g. internet/intranet website, web applications, online forms, social media platforms)
• Non-web content (e.g. portable/cross-device document formats, word processing document formats, email, audio/video mobile apps, software and operating systems)
• Hardware / video (e.g. phones and fax machines, smart phones, tablets, notebooks / laptops, data processing devices)
• Any future technologies

The rule’s refresh aligns Section 508 standards to W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0), standards used internationally and supported many times over the recent years by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in litigation over civil rights protected in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 508 require compliance with Level A and Level AA criteria. Level AAA is optional, though highly recommended, to improve access.

Guidance and Best Practices

While the WCAG 2.0 standards are extensive with regard to rules and techniques, we want to make sure you have relevant examples of how you can comply with the standards in your daily activities, so we are providing you with solutions based on topics.

EIR Products

All products should conform with WCAG 2.0 requirements. The following list is not exhaustive but deals with many of the common products we use at the university.