Campus & community, Campus news
A statement on online course content and accessibility
By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley| September 13, 2016September 14, 2016
September 13, 2016September 14, 2016
Public Affairs
UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education Cathy Koshland issued this statement today:
UC Berkeley has long been committed to ensuring equal access to students, faculty and staff with disabilities. Despite the absence of clear regulatory guidance, we have attempted to maximize the accessibility of free, online content that we have made available to the public. Nevertheless, the Department of Justice has recently asserted that the University is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act because, in its view, not all of the free course and lecture content UC Berkeley makes available on certain online platforms is fully accessible to individuals with hearing, visual or manual disabilities.
The department’s findings do not implicate the accessibility of educational opportunities provided to our enrolled students.
In response, the university has moved swiftly to engage our campus experts to evaluate the best course of action. We look forward to continued dialog with the Department of Justice regarding the requirements of the [...]