Ensuring online accessibility

To monitor and evaluate accessibility across its Web pages, the University of Minnesota is implementing a compliance and security solution from HiSoftware. The HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff will help the university ensure that all members of its community—students, faculty and staff—can access online tools and resources.

Peggy Mann Rinehart, associate director of disability services, says, “The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equal access to information technology, services and environments in which technology is used as reflected in its Accessibility to Information Technology (AIT) policy and standards. Our Computer Accommodations Program will spend the next year developing a template that mirrors the AIT standards and testing the software with partners that represent a variety of University of Minnesota colleges and departments.”

To help meet the university’s needs, HiSoftware worked with the Computer Accommodations Program to develop a plan for automating the detection of AIT policy violations. Combining standard testing requirements, systemwide tool deployment and training, HiSoftware says it will ensure that the university websites are accessible to all.