On May 19, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a joint letter to remind institutions of higher ed of their obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to provide equal opportunities to people with disabilities in all their operations. The letter explicitly addresses online services, programs, and activities available to students and the public.

The challenges and barriers cited in this letter are seen regularly in academics, information technology, disability services, administration, and elsewhere on our campus. Taken as a whole, they represent abundant opportunities for systemic evolution at Iowa. 

 I’ve attached a copy of the letter; you can also link to the News item at https://itaccessibility.uiowa.edu/news. Please share this letter widely with anyone who may be interested.

Many thanks, as always, for supporting Accessibility@IOWA.

TMW

T. Matthew Weissenberger [he/him/his]
IT Accessibility Coordinator
University of Iowa
todd-weissenberger@uiowa.edu