Students in front of computers in the HUB center

Mt. Hood Community College Accessibility Continuing Action Plan

MHCC Continuing Action Plan

Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is committed to providing the highest standard of service to the entire community. This continuing action plan ensures that MHCC will remain a leader in electronic accessibility.

Resources – MHCC will maintain and update an E-Text resources page, which houses guides, videos, and recommendations for employees to reference in order to create accessible content. Each term, the Electronic Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator (EITAC) will review the E-Text Resources page to ensure it is up to date on all available resources.

Websites – MHCC will continue to meet Section 508 WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 AA level standards within all college-owned websites. Websites will be constantly monitored using SiteImprove to resolve issues in a timely manner. External links will be reviewed for accessibility, and alternatives found if necessary.

Portal – The college will continue monitoring the portal for potential accessibility issues and resolve them with the help of MyMHCC vendor Jenzabar.

Learning Management Systems – Content on MHCC's learning management system will be WCAG 2.1 AA level accessible including captions/transcripts for videos, VPATS and accessibility statements for external sites collected. If a site is inaccessible but needed, the courses will include a statement explaining that external links may be inaccessible and to contact the instructor if an alternative format is needed. Ally, Blackboard's accessibility tool, was implemented in summer 2018. All Blackboard courses will be migrated to an accessible template.

Faculty and Staff Training – Individualized training will be conducted by either the AES (Accessible Education Services) Assistive Technology Specialist or EITA coordinator.

Electronic Documents – All electronic documents (PDFs, Word Docs, Excel Sheets, etc.) will meet WCAG 2.1 AA level standards whenever possible based on document type. The web team and the EITAC will review all documents before online placement. If circumstances require material to be posted within a specific time, it may be placed online in an inaccessible format only if an accessible version is being created. The accessible version will replace the inaccessible copy as soon as possible. Exceptions will only be granted if an accessible version is made in the future. Applications for Admission- All applications for admission will be accessible, including the general application for admission. Future plans will include reducing the number of documents placed online or delivered electronically in favor of more accessible web-based methodology.

Library – The library offers many scholarly research databases through three primary vendors. All vendors are committed to continuing to make their resources - including captioned videos - compliant with accessibility standards and the vendors will maintain their current compliance. Bookstore – The MHCC Bookstore will continue to use Nebraska Book Company (NBC) as their website vendor, which is committed to maintaining WCAG 2.1 AA level standards.

Purchasing – All purchases relating to MHCC’s online presence or software will be reviewed for accessibility. The EITAC will request a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) from potential vendors to assess compliance. The EITAC will also review electronic purchases to ensure the accessibility of new products. If the software is necessary but inaccessible, any employee/student can request an accessible alternative. If no accessible alternatives are available, an exception will be made.