IT Accessibility

The accessibility of content and processes in the information technology environment is not just a concern but a shared priority for the Big Ten Academic Alliance Chief Information Officers (CIOs). This collective commitment underscores the importance we place on ensuring that our IT resources are accessible to all. 

The Big Ten Academic Alliance CIOs recognize that thoughtful management through a complicated set of ever-evolving challenges and opportunities is required to meet this concern. Building on their long history of individual, institutional efforts being aided by joint sharing of concerns, effective practices, and successful collaborative initiatives, the CIOs charged the IT Accessibility Group with the task of recommending and taking practical steps to maximize the accessibility of IT resources. The work of the IT Accessibility Group is an integral part of the overarching goal of providing sustained quality and performance to member institutions' instructional, research, creative, outreach, and engagement programs and efforts.

An important contribution to this work is the Vendor Guide to Web Accessibility Cookbook, created by the IT Accessibility Group. The Vendor Guide is designed to help decision-makers within software development companies. The body of the document provides a brief overview of administrative considerations related to accessibility. Several appendices provide an extensive list of resources that can be distributed to team members in design, technical, quality assurance, marketing, and other positions.