Dive Brief:
- The University of Montana has pledged to develop policies on providing access to people with disabilities and to train its employees on disability issues, according to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
- The steps outlined by the agreement will help the school resolve a student discrimination complaint from 2012.
- In the complaint, the University of Montana was accused of using electronic class assignments, library databases, videos, course registration materials, and other technologies that were not accessible to visually impaired students.
Dive Insight:
The agreement gives the university two years to provide accessible technology — technology that allows people with disabilities to acquire the same information and engage in the same interactions as people without disabilities. Nearly all education technology is covered by the agreement, including electronic textbooks, library services, and video feeds. The university has also created an Office of Accessible Technology Services to troubleshoot issues, test technology before deployment and help with training.