Digital Accessibility Implementation Plan/Timeline

The Task Force report revealed these initial high-level findings of K-State's current state that were used to inform the implementation plan:

• The university lacks adequate accessibility oversight and enforcement across the institution as governed by policy and defined accountability structure.
• Expertise is scattered and de-centralized.
• Individual users in some cases also lack the awareness of how to create accessible and compliant content and resources due to lack of training and resources.
• The application of current resources/tools in and of themselves is uneven, and in some cases, not fully deployed nor realized as to the controls they offer.
• In some cases, the university simply lacks the appropriate tools/resources.

Download the Complete Task Force Report (PDF) - eID/password required

The Task Force will be working to stand up the following five working groups in April to lead and support key implementation work streams:

Policy Review and Development Team

• Assess and identify final list of interrelated policies and work with policy owners/appropriate governance to draft necessary changes and obtain final approved, updated policies.
• Initiate review of the purchasing process and ensure this front-end process sets us up for compliance and future success.

Onboarding of Resources and Remediation Tools Team

• Identify final list of remediation resources/tools, both existing and new.
• Confirm final budget required for new resources and lead through the Purchasing process.
• Identify staff resources required to implement tools and build/support implementation teams accordingly.
• Support trainings as required.

Academic Content/Materials Remediation Training/Support Team

• Lead the academic content implementation by developing trainings and workshops to support faculty in their individual content remediation efforts and in their understanding of the resources available to them.

Web Content/Materials Remediation Training/Support Team

• Lead the web content implementation by developing training to support faculty/staff in their individual content remediation efforts and in their understanding of the resources available to them.

Staffing and Structures Team

• Recommend staffing support and personnel needs throughout remediation.
• Recommend permanent staffing structure to ensure sustained management and compliance.

• Academic Auditing/Remediation Tool(s)
  • RFP to launch no later than April 2025.
  • Contract to be held/managed by Academic Affairs and Innovation.
  • Tools to be onboarded/integrated over the spring/summer and made available to the university community fall 2025.
• Web Auditing/Remediation Tool(s)
  • Purchasing process to launch no later than April 2025.
  • Contract to be held/managed by the Division of Communications and Marketing.
  • Tools to be onboarded over the spring/summer and made available to the university community fall 2025.
• The Task Force will also explore additional one-time high-touch support from vendor partners to boost bandwidth and expedite any high-level remediation issues.
• Town Halls and/or other in-person opportunities for faculty and staff to learn more about WCAG 2.1 AA standards and what will be required of them will be offered spring 2025.
• Trainings and workshops around tools/resources and compliance will also be created over the spring/summer and will launch fall 2025 when the bulk of remediation work will occur.