President's Announcement
From: presidentsoffice@calpoly.edu
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 2:48 PM
Subject: Campus Actions to Implement Executive Order 926
Dear Cal Poly Employees:
Re: Campus Actions to Implement Executive Order 926, Policy on Disability Support and Accommodations
As Spring Quarter begins, I want to announce specific actions that Cal Poly will be undertaking to start implementing an integrated Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) Assistive Technology Initiative.
Accessibility to information technology resources -- such as Web-based materials, programs and services -- has been a long standing and increasing concern, one that is mandated by federal and state law, including Section 508 of U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 11135 of the California Government Code.
The California State University (CSU) and its campuses (including Cal Poly) are required to comply with such laws, and it is the policy of the CSU to make information technology resources and services accessible to all CSU students, faculty, staff, and the general public regardless of disability.
CSU Executive Order 926, which went into effect on January 1, 2005, establishes the policy, specifies campus responsibilities, and offers supplemental guidance to ensure that the proper and integrated actions of each campus are effectively mobilized to comply with the policy and law.
Full text of the executive order.
To achieve effective and timely attention to these important requirements, Cal Poly has committed existing human and financial resources and is preparing a detailed plan to facilitate and support campus compliance.
Information Technology Services, Robert E. Kennedy Library, Employment Equity and Faculty Recruitment, and the Disability Resource Center are coordinating campus efforts to identify and address individual needs, while providing the necessary leadership to develop, to implement and to support resources for making information technologies more accessible to our campus community. Cal Poly is actively engaged in system-wide ADA-Assistive Technology planning efforts as well.
During Spring Quarter, a new standing committee will be formed in accordance with the executive order. The committee [Disability Access and Compliance Committee] will work with the above named groups and key campus resources and committees to determine the best means and strategies to effectively mobilize the campus as a whole to comply with the executive order, including access to information technology.
I would like to take a moment to personally thank the Academic Senate for its active involvement and consultation in preparing this initiative. They adopted and I have accepted a "Resolution on Accessibility to Information Technology Resources" that will help focus and inform the direction the campus takes and assure their active engagement and participation in this effort in the future.
By way of this message, I ask each of you to take the time to become better informed and actively involved where appropriate to ensure that Cal Poly resources are accessible to our students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and other constituents. For more information about the Cal Poly ADA-Assistive Technology Initiative, please review ADA-related documents posted at the Cal Poly Accessibility Web site.
Specifically, I would ask that our program administrators, deans, and department heads and chairs be committed to working with the new committee and other campus offices as appropriate to identify and address issues of accessibility as they arise in their areas. It will take the commitment of everyone to achieve over time our goal of full compliance.
If there are employees in your area who do not have regular access to email or a computer, please print copies of this message to share with them, so they are aware of this priority and can be truly engaged in this campus-wide information effort.
Finally, as we approach the end of another academic year, I would like to extend best wishes to each of you for a productive and enjoyable Spring Quarter.
Warren J. Baker
President