Mid Michigan College (Mid) is committed to provide equal opportunity and accessibility to its educational and administrative services, programs and activities. This includes assurance that our web, online learning materials, and electronic information technologies are informative, educational, and accessible to everyone. It is critical that we provide transparency and equality in our opportunities regardless of situation or disability. Adapting Accessible Design in Web, online instructional materials and electronic information technologies minimizes information barriers that impede the success of our entire campus community. To this intent, Mid works to broaden accessibility and adaptability in our online learning materials, Website, and electronic information technology that can be measured against the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disability Act of 1991 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), to determine and ensure accessible design.
Mid reaffirms its commitment to Accessible Design through the Policy stated below. The Policy intends to help cultivate continuous improvements to accessibility in our web, online learning, and electronic information technology. Efforts focus on addressing areas of non-compliance, establishing timeframes for corrective action, and providing a centralized area for education, training, guidance, and compliance support.
To ensure that Web, online learning, and electronic information technology is accessible to all members of the College community including students, prospective students, employees, guests, and visitors (particularly those with visual, hearing, or manual impairments or who otherwise require the use of assistive technology to access information), Mid Michigan College follows the accessibility standards set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disability Act of 1991 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 levels A and AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Further, these standards are used to measure the accessibility of all Web and electronic information technology purchased, developed, maintained or utilized by the College in its educational and employment activities. This ensures that all students, faculty, staff, applicants, and members of the public with disabilities have equal opportunity to access and utilize informational materials, technologies, and technology-related services, except when doing so would impose an undue burden on the College or require a fundamental alteration.
This Policy applies to all web materials and content for Mid including but not limited to services, administration, course instruction, online learning, departmental programs and activities, web resources, and all electronic informational technology that is purchased, developed, maintained or utilized by the College.
Associate Dean of Online and Distance Learning
Deputy Coordinator Online Learning & Multimedia
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 - CLAB 267
(989) 386-6622 x105 | mschram@midmich.edu
Director of Information Technology
Deputy Accessibility Coordinator, Information Technology
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 - Room 318E
1375 S. Clare Ave., Harrison, MI 48625 - Room 120
(989) 386-6622 x111 | klehr@midmich.edu
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Deputy Accessibility Coordinator, College Website
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
1375 S. Clare Ave., Harrison, MI 48625 Room 119D
(989) 386-6622 x579 | mckeen@midmich.edu
To ensure the College’s accessibility is in alignment with industry standards, all Web, online learning content, and electronic information technology including web pages, websites and web-based software published, hosted or used (including remotely hosted video-sharing websites such as YouTube or other open sources), software, hardware, databases, multimedia, and classroom/office technology used by the College conforms to the guidelines outlined in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 levels A and AA published by the W3C.
The College understands that achieving accessibility compliance is a continuous and ongoing process. Therefore, the Deputy Coordinators conduct annual audits of the College’s website, online learning management system, and electronic information against the technical standards adopted by this Policy. The audits are intended to examine the accessibility and usability of information, technology and resources provided by the College. All areas of deficiency are documented and evaluated. Corrective action plans are developed to address all accessibility issues, targeting high-priority areas of non-compliance, first.
The accessible standards outlined in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 are adopted at levels A and AA by all areas of the Colleges. With assistance from the Deputy Coordinators, any areas of non-compliance are addressed by a corrective action plan, including timeframes. Failure to adopt such standards exposes the College to potential legal liabilities and creates communication barriers to external audiences and would diminish the College’s efforts in providing equal opportunity to its educational and administrative services, programs and activities. To help facilitate adoption campus wide, the College offers instructor-led and web-delivered technology accessibility training. These trainings are facilitated, entirely or in part, by individuals such as the College’s Deputy Coordinators who have sufficient knowledge, skill, and experience to understand and employ the technical standards adopted by this Policy.
Training is provided to all pertinent personnel (e.g. content developers such as faculty, staff, administrators, student employees, and information technology personnel) responsible for developing, loading, maintaining, or auditing web and online content and functionality. Trainings focus on, but are not limited to, information on this Policy, the technical standards adopted, each person’s role and responsibility in ensuring that web design, online course content, multimedia videos, documents, and technology is accessible to students, employees, guests, and visitors. Trainings and audits are continuous as the College continues to broaden accessible design in our Web and information technologies. Trainings are extend to staff members and student workers at the Technology Services Helpdesk, which equip them to address the needs of individuals using assistive technologies. The College also proactively reaches out to subsets of faculty to offer training and support related to the creation of accessible course content, as needed. Training sessions are available online and may also be offered face-to-face and virtual throughout the year.
To ensure that all members of the campus community have the most up to date information and resources to help facilitate accessibility, the College maintains an Accessibility website which contains information on, policies, training resources, videos/materials, as well as information on how to report accessibility barriers.
The Mid website is the most substantial communication tool that the College possesses. Hundreds of pages must be managed and in conformity to the accessibility standards adopted by this Policy. This task is the responsibility of all College employees. The Strategic Communications team is charged with facilitating the implementation to ensure that all content placed on the web is accessible to everyone. To this end, the Team conducts annual web audits, which encompass every page of the College’s website. All content (new and old) is measured against the standards adopted by this Policy. Any new content is reviewed by Strategic Communications to ensure that it is accessible and conforms to the standards adopted prior to publication. Yearly audits of the College’s web pages are conducted. Content accuracy is ensured by the appropriate departmental or academic employee(s). Content and any other recommended changes are implemented by the Strategic Communications team. Prior to the final approval of each page, the Strategic Communications team members use a digital accessibility checker to verify that accessibility standards are met. Should a page not meet accessibility standards as defined by this Policy, the Page is revised prior to publication.
Anyone with access to edit pages of the College website receives the appropriate training to ensure that they understand accessibility standards adopted by this Policy, how to check for digital accessibility barriers, and how to update web pages in alignment with accessibility guidelines.
From initial implementation of this policy forward, all newly purchased and established contracts up for renewal relating to electronic technology, software, or hardware procured by the College and used by its community should conform to the relevant technical accessibility standard adopted, as long as the technology is commercially available and its purchase does not result in undue financial and administrative burdens or fundamental alterations. If a product is available but does not meet all of the relevant accessibility provisions of WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 levels A and AA, Mid Michigan College procures the product that closest meets the standards, unless an exception has been granted or the purchase would result in undue financial and administrative burdens or a fundamental alteration. In specific situations where compliance is not possible, carefully defined exceptions to accessible procurement may be granted by the Deputy Coordinators.
The College has established a process to ensure that electronic technology, software, and hardware purchased by the College is accessible. This includes:
Mid’s intent is to build a culture of awareness and support that accomplishes the tasks outlined in this Policy. This ensures that Web, online learning materials and electronic information technologies are informative, educational, and accessible to everyone. To assist with this endeavor, the College maintains an Accessibility website. Further, on the College’s homepage information is provided and linked to the accessibility website that provides instruction to individuals that incur an accessibility barrier on how to report and request that content and/or functionality be made accessible or provide equally effective alternate access.
When accessibility barriers are discovered, individuals are encouraged to file an Accessibility Barrier Report. To make reporting of inaccessible web content easier, the Strategic Communications Team has placed a link at the bottom of each web page that routes to the Report form. Further, within the College’s online learning system, Moodle, a similar link is available at the bottom of each page that routes to the Report Form. The College understands that despite continuous efforts, barriers to accessibility can emerge and can only be redressed when brought to the proper College Officials’ attention. Reported barriers are routed to the proper College Official. Typically, the issue is addressed within three (3) business days of submission of the report. If remediation cannot be accomplished within this time frame, the College notifies the Reporter on the status of the remediation, time frame that is anticipated for completion, and discuss options for equally effective alternate access. For general questions regarding identified barriers, individuals may email ada@midmich.edu.
Mid has adopted internal grievance procedures which provide a venue for a prompt, equitable, and impartial resolution of grievances alleging any action prohibited by the Americans with Disability Act of 1991, Section 504 or 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These procedures apply to complaints of inaccessibility or discrimination/harassment on the basis of disability. They pertain to all members of the campus community including: students, faculty, staff, employment and admission applicants, vendors, contractors, and third parties. A formal grievance may be filed using the online ADA Grievance Form Additional information regarding Mid’s ADA/Section 504 Policy Statement and Grievance Procedures is also available.
Individuals with questions about this Policy or about online learning content, Web, or electronic information technology, should contact one of the Coordinators listed below:
Associate Dean of Online and Distance Learning
Deputy Coordinator Online Learning & Multimedia
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 - CLAB 267
(989) 386-6622 x105 | mschram@midmich.edu
Director of Information Technology
Deputy Accessibility Coordinator, Information Technology
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 - Room 318E
1375 S. Clare Ave., Harrison, MI 48625 - Room 120
(989) 386-6622 x111 | klehr@midmich.edu
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Deputy Accessibility Coordinator, College Website
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
1375 S. Clare Ave., Harrison, MI 48625 Room 119D
(989) 386-6622 x579 | mckeen@midmich.edu
Individuals with questions or concerns regarding barriers should contact one of the College’s ADA/Section 504 Coordinators list below:
Director of College Compliance & Ethics
Title IX/Civil Rights Coordinator
ADA/Section 504 Coordinator
2600 S. Summerton Rd., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
1375 S. Clare Ave., Harrison, MI 48625
(989) 386- 6622 x394 | mfarrell@midmich.edu
To obtain a paper copy of this or any Mid Policy, email sos@midmich.edu.
(updated AUGUST 2023)