Report 2017-102 Recommendations

To ensure that it is fulfilling requests for alternate media services from students with disabilities in a timely manner, by June 2018, Cerritos should establish procedures for monitoring its timeliness in responding to such requests so that it can periodically review its performance in completing the requests. Specifically, Cerritos should record and track sufficient information to be able to review how long it takes to complete requests. Additionally, Cerritos should calculate the number of days it takes to complete requests, and periodically evaluate its performance against its time-frame goals.

To ensure that it promptly addresses any complaints it receives related to web accessibility and alternate media requests, by June 2018, Cerritos should establish procedures for tracking and reviewing complaints received related to accessibility and addressing complaints in a timely fashion.

To ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to instructional materials, by June 2018, Cerritos should develop procedures to monitor and periodically review the accessibility of instructional materials. For example, Cerritos could develop an accessibility checklist for instructors to complete when developing or selecting instructional materials, from which the college could periodically review a sample of course content to ensure that instructors completed the checklist and that the instructional materials comply with accessibility standards.

To ensure that all instructors are aware of the accessibility standards for instructional materials, Cerritos should include in its next collective bargaining negotiations a requirement for instructors to periodically attend accessibility trainings.

To ensure the consistent, transparent, and continuous implementation of processes for technology equipment upgrades and replacements, by June 2018, Cerritos should establish written procedures for those processes.

To ensure that its technology master plan supports the strategic goals of the district, Cerritos should update its master plan by June 2018, and should ensure that the plan includes detailed steps to accomplish its goals.

To increase the transparency of its annual review process, by June 2018, Cerritos should establish procedures requiring its departments to document attendees, input received, and agreements reached during meetings to consider instructional technology equipment requests.

To ensure that all community colleges are complying with timeliness requirements, by June 2018, the Chancellor's Office should establish guidance for the colleges on tracking and monitoring their effectiveness in responding to students' requests for instructional materials in alternate media in a timely manner. At a minimum, this guidance should provide direction to all community colleges on establishing a time-frame goal for completing students' requests. The guidance should also provide direction to colleges for establishing procedures to track and periodically monitor their performance in promptly responding to requests, identify reasons for delays in responding to requests, and take action as needed to improve their timeliness in completing future requests.

To ensure that community colleges promptly address any complaints they receive related to alternate media requests and web accessibility, by June 2018, the Chancellor's Office should provide guidance to the community colleges on developing procedures to track and periodically review complaints received related to accessibility services, and to address any accessibility complaints in a timely fashion.

To comply with statutory reporting requirements on its efforts to serve students with disabilities, by June 2018, the Chancellor's Office should establish and report on a system for evaluating state-funded programs and services for disabled students, including its gathering of outcome data, staff and student perceptions of program effectiveness, and data on the implementation of the program.

To ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to instructional materials, by June 2018, the Chancellor's Office should develop guidance for the community colleges on periodically monitoring the accessibility of instructional materials and on providing training to all instructors in making their materials accessible to students with disabilities.

To ensure that community colleges' websites comply with accessibility guidelines, by September 2018, the Chancellor's Office should provide guidance to colleges on establishing policies and procedures to monitor the accessibility of their websites. Additionally, by September 2018, the Chancellor's Office should provide guidance on best practices for colleges to use in preventing their websites from containing inaccessible information.

To assist all community college districts and colleges in ensuring that they have consistent, transparent, and continuous implementation of their processes for upgrading and replacing IT equipment, by September 2018, the Chancellor's Office should issue guidance to the districts and community colleges on establishing written procedures for those processes.

To assist all community colleges in increasing transparency of their shared governance decision-making processes, by September 2018, the Chancellor's Office should issue guidance to the community colleges on establishing procedures to document the attendees, input received, and agreements reached during department meetings, including those to consider technology equipment requests.

To ensure that it is fulfilling requests for alternate media services from students with disabilities in a timely manner, by June 2018, De Anza should establish procedures for monitoring its timeliness in responding to such requests so that it can periodically review its performance in completing the requests. Specifically, it should record and track sufficient information to be able to review how long it takes to complete requests. Additionally, De Anza should calculate the number of days it takes to complete requests, and periodically evaluate its performance against its time-frame goals. Further, to evaluate its performance, De Anza should establish a time-frame goal for completing alternate media requests.

To ensure that it promptly addresses any complaints it receives related to web accessibility and alternate media requests, De Anza should follow its new procedures for tracking and reviewing complaints related to accessibility.

To ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to instructional materials, by June 2018, De Anza should develop procedures to monitor and periodically review the accessibility of instructional materials. For example, De Anza could develop an accessibility checklist for instructors to complete when developing or selecting instructional materials, from which the college could periodically review a sample of course content to ensure that instructors completed the checklist and that the instructional materials comply with accessibility standards.

To ensure that its website complies with accessibility standards, by June 2018, De Anza should develop procedures to monitor website accessibility and incorporate steps to prevent instructors from publishing inaccessible content on the college's website. These procedures should include a tracking mechanism to demonstrate how many accessibility errors the college identifies and how long it takes to fix those errors.

To ensure that all instructors are aware of the accessibility standards for instructional materials, De Anza should include in its next collective bargaining negotiations a requirement for instructors to periodically attend accessibility trainings.

To ensure the consistent, transparent, and continuous implementation of processes for technology equipment upgrades and replacements, by June 2018, the Foothill-De Anza district should establish written procedures for those processes.

To increase the transparency of its annual review process, by June 2018, De Anza should establish procedures requiring its departments to document attendees, input received, and agreements reached during meetings to consider instructional technology equipment requests.

To ensure that it is fulfilling requests for alternate media services from students with disabilities in a timely manner, by June 2018, American River should establish procedures for monitoring its timeliness in responding to such requests so that it can periodically review its performance in completing the requests. Specifically, American River should calculate the number of days it take to complete requests, and periodically evaluate its performance against its time-frame goals.

To ensure that it promptly address any complaints it receives related to web accessibility and alternate media requests, by June 2018, American River should establish procedures for tracking and reviewing complaints received related to accessibility and addressing complaints in a timely fashion.

To ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to instructional materials, by June 2018, American River should develop procedures to monitor and periodically review the accessibility of instructional materials. For example, American River could develop an accessibility checklist for instructors to complete when developing or selecting instructional materials, from which the college could periodically review a sample of course content to ensure that instructors completed the checklist and that the instructional materials comply with accessibility standards.

To ensure that its website complies with accessibility standards, by June 2018, American River should develop procedures to monitor website accessibility and incorporate steps to prevent instructors from publishing inaccessible content on the college's website. These procedures should include a tracking mechanism to demonstrate how many accessibility errors the college identifies and how long it takes to fix those errors.

To ensure that all instructors are aware of the accessibility standards for instructional materials, American River should include in its next collective bargaining negotiations a requirement for instructors to periodically attend accessibility trainings.

To ensure the consistent, transparent, and continuous implementation of processes for technology equipment upgrades and replacements, by June 2018, the Los Rios district and American River should each establish written procedures for those processes.

To ensure that it fully implements its technology master plan, by June 2018, American River should establish an implementation plan with detailed steps for achieving the goals in its technology master plan that it has not yet accomplished. Further, it should develop an implementation plan in conjunction with the development of its future technology master plan.

To increase the transparency of its annual review processes, by June 2018, American River should establish procedures requiring its departments to document attendees, input received, and agreements reached during meetings to consider instructional technology equipment requests.