San Jose State University
 
 
 
Welcome to our Fall 2024 Newsletter!
 
 
Dear colleagues,

 Welcome to our semesterly update on accessibility, a critical element in ensuring that every member of our campus community has the opportunity to succeed. As faculty and staff, we all play a pivotal role in fostering an inclusive environment. Accessibility is not just about meeting legal requirements; it is about creating an equitable learning and working space where all students and employees, regardless of their abilities, can thrive.
In this issue, you'll find key updates from the Employee Accommodation Resource Center, King Library, Teaching Innovation, and UCAC. Whether it's enhancing digital content accessibility, supporting diverse learning needs, or ensuring workplace accommodations, these updates highlight the ongoing work and resources available to support you in making our campus more inclusive.
By staying informed and engaged with these initiatives, you contribute to a culture of inclusion that benefits everyone. Let's work together to break down barriers and make our campus a place where all can succeed.

Thank you,
Magdalena L. Barrera
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
ATI Steering Committee Chair
 
 
 
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Beyond Inclusion: How to Raise Anti-Ableist Kids: “Parents want to be inclusive of their disabled and neurodivergent neighbors and want to pass these values along to their children. What holds them back is not having the education or experience on how to appropriately do this. Beyond Inclusion breaks down fifteen common forms of ableism, with explanations, examples, and first-person accounts.”
Why We Need Universal Design: “Michael Nesmith is a deaf and native American Sign Language speaker working as a creative designer for Amazon. Throughout his career, Michael's visual/conceptual way of thinking and problem solving have served him both as an asset and a challenge. He finds solutions around his disability through Universal Design.”
Can AI Help Boost Accessibility? Researchers at the University of Washington tested it for themselves. 
 
 
 
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LinkedIn Learning - Inclusion and Equity for Workers with Disabilities: This course covers the essentials of what inclusion and exclusion looks like in the workplace and the key requirements for fostering equity. The presenter, Paralympic gold medalist Liz Johnson, shares resources to support inclusive practices.
Did you know?
Scheduling an ergonomic evaluation just got easier! We’ve added a new Ergonomic Evaluation Request form on our website. Employees can quickly complete and submit this form online to arrange for an ergonomic evaluation. Whether you’re experiencing physical discomfort, have concerns about your workstation setup, or moved offices, this new tool streamlines the process, making it more convenient to get the support you need.

Quick Tip:
Did you know that your Mac or Windows computer may already have valuable accessibility features already built in? These tools may help your digital experience and all it requires is for you to turn them on! 
Mac Accessibility Features
Mac computers come with a suite of accessibility tools that you can activate through the System Preferences. Here are some key features:
  • VoiceOver: A screen reader that provides auditory descriptions of what’s on your screen. It’s especially useful for those with visual impairments.
  • Zoom: This magnification tool lets you enlarge parts of the screen, making it easier to read and interact with content.
  • Increase Contrast: Enhances the contrast between text and background to improve readability.
  • Display: Adjusts the display settings to suit different visual needs, including color filters and reduced motion.
  • Keyboard Accessibility: Includes features like Sticky Keys, Slow Keys, and Key Repeat to accommodate various typing needs.
  • Live Speech: Lets you type what you want to say and your device will speak it out loud. 
  • Live Captions: Offers real-time transcriptions of speech, audio and video content. 
To access these features, go to System Settings > Accessibility.
Having trouble turning on or using these features? Mac has support staff that are ready to help - they are available by phone, chat, in person, or online. 
Windows Accessibility Features
Windows also offers a range of built-in accessibility tools available through the Settings menu. Here’s a snapshot:
  • Narrator: A screen reader that reads aloud text on the screen and describes events, making it easier for users with visual impairments to navigate.
  • Magnifier: A screen magnification tool that helps users zoom in on specific areas of the screen for better visibility.
  • High Contrast: Provides a high-contrast color scheme to improve readability of text and user interface elements.
  • Closed Captions: Displays subtitles for audio content, useful for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
  • Ease of Access Keyboard: Features like Sticky Keys and Filter Keys help users with physical or motor impairments customize their typing experience.
  • Audio Alerts: Shows visual alerts on the screen for audio notifications. 
You can find these tools under Settings > Ease of Access 
Having trouble turning on or using these features? Windows has support staff that are ready to help - they are available by phone, chat, and online. 
 
 
 
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SJSU King Library has a variety of resources to support teaching, learning, research and creative activity around accessibility and disability, such as streaming video from Kanopy’s Disability Pride Month collection. This collection includes stories and documentaries exploring and celebrating disability in film, free to anyone from the SJSU community with login. Some interesting titles to explore:
Read Me Differently: A Family’s Journey with Dyslexia, ADHD, and Learning Differences - A shock of recognition in social work school leads award-winning filmmaker Sarah Entine to explore how undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD have impacted three generations in her family, starting with her own struggles.
ParaGold - A film that follows the lives of four Paralympic equestrian hopefuls as they vie for a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Dressage team.
To Be of Service - Follows veterans suffering from PTSD, who are paired with service dogs to help them heal and restore their independence when traditional treatments fall short.  
Find out more about accessibility services and adaptive technology from SJSU Library and the San Jose Public Library. Contact librarian Suzie Bahmanyar for more information.
 
 
 
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In April, 2024, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was updated to ensure accessibility of web content, mobile apps, and social media posts. This update also updated the definition of “state and local government entities and organizations” to include public colleges and universities.
 
To meet the requirements, digital materials should adhere to the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards to accommodate users with disabilities. This includes:
  • Canvas course content, such as assignments, exams, and discussions, must be designed with clear text, descriptive alternative text for content images, audio alternatives, and easy-to-use controls
  • Surveys must be easily navigable and operable by mouse or keyboard, contain semantic tagging for a screen reader, and read coherently when read with assistive technology
  • Digital textbooks must be designed with clear text, descriptive alternative text for content images, audio alternatives, and easy-to-use controls.
  • PDFs must be tagged for a screen reader, and all images and figures provided with an alternative text.
  • Videos must include closed captions and descriptions of any content images in the video that are not described in the audio.
We have two years to comply, so let’s start now.
 
You can begin by focusing on one aspect of your course or content you share. For example, always add alternative text for images, include edited captions for your videos using Panopto, or use permalinks instead of PDFs for articles. 
 
 
 
 
 
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The SJSU Official Syllabus is a tool available through Canvas to create syllabi for each of your courses. The syllabi are consistent across all classes. The tool was developed to comply with Section 508 for accessibility. Each department put together templates to include some of the core components that they have determined were necessary for each of the syllabi. Many of the features listed can be found on our official syllabus website.
Empowering instructors with efficiency, the SJSU Online Syllabus tool offers a convenient copy feature. This allows each instructor to effortlessly replicate their syllabi from term to term or across multiple sections when their new courses roll out for the term.
For students, the process of downloading the syllabus is a breeze, requiring only a few simple clicks. The syllabus can be easily printed or downloaded as a PDF, retaining all the formatting created by the instructor. 
The Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation (CFETI) offers workshops on the SJSU Official Syllabus tool throughout the term. In addition, there are 24/7 On-Demand Training Resources available. We are also here to support you if you need to go over how to set it up or have any questions about how to work with the syllabus tool.
 
 
 
 
 
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Last Fall, faculty participants in the Audit Your Syllabus program reviewed their course syllabi from the perspective of accessibility, cost, diversity and student feedback! The Audit Your Syllabus - Public Version has just launched. Check it out to get inspired!
 
 
 
 
 
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In May, we celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day by curating a handful of brief videos showing what SJSU faculty and staff are doing now to support all members of our campus community! It’s exciting to see what’s going on in our SJSU community!
 
 
 
 
 
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Join the Ally and Instructional Materials Common Interest Group! This collaborative community is for CSU persons dedicated to enhancing the accessibility of instructional materials and sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices for using Ally within Canvas.
 
 
 
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The University Council on Accessibility and Compliance will be exploring ways in which we can support accessibility for all campus events this semester. We welcome any ideas, concerns, or suggestions to make SJSU an accessible, inclusive and innovative campus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192

 
Last Updated Nov 19, 2024