From the Chief Diversity Officer
Posted: Friday, May 10, 2019Siteimprove and Blackboard Ally Implementation
Buffalo State is committed to providing equitable access to all students, faculty, and staff members. The campus has recently implemented two systems that will assist us in continuing our goal for equitable access. As a campus, we are responsible for ensuring that our content, images, and videos are compliant with the standards outlined within the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA.
Siteimprove was implemented to test all Buffalo State web pages. This product evaluates the web content for compliance using WCAG standards. Reports generated with identified errors are then shared with content creators on campus.
Blackboard Ally, implemented on April 17, is a revolutionary product that focuses on making digital course content more accessible. Ally is embedded within Blackboard Learn to assist content creators in making files such as Word, PowerPoint, images, and PDFs more accessible within the course. Faculty members receive feedback on the accessibility of their content and step-by-step instructions on how to improve content accessibility. In addition, Ally allows students to choose alternative formats for their course content. Alternative formats include audio files, electronic braille, epub for e-book readers, and mobile devices and HTML for viewing within browsers.
As we move toward achieving these standards of compliance, we encourage all primary web contacts, content creators, and faculty and staff members to participate in the available workshops offered on campus.
