Nearly 57 million people—19 percent of the U.S. population—reported a disability in the last census. More than half of those people said their disability was "severe."
Disabilities can range and vary. They can be visible or invisible; chronic or temporary.
At Case Western Reserve, we are committed to ensuring that all of our community members have the same resources and opportunities as others to advance their education and research. Accessibility—both physical and digital—plays a key role in that. Creating content that is usable by all makes it better for all.
View some frequently asked questions to find out more about digital accessibility at Case Western Reserve.
All websites, applications, social media accounts and other areas of online content—such as videos, images and documents—must be accessible for all users.
If anyone requests that a website
Use the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool by plugging in your page URL to see accessibility issues on any webpage.
Yes. The different levels of accessibility are covered in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Case Western Reserve University websites, applications
Yes. Just because you don't think you know anyone with a disability, or even if you've checked with Disability Resources office about your class roster, doesn't mean there aren't people who have invisible or unreported disabilities.
In addition, if you're creating content for a website, social media post, or public presentation, this is information that is publicly available—well beyond just the people you know.
Finally, the university as a whole must follow federal accessibility guidelines. As a faculty or staff member, you are representing the university and need to ensure your content meets these federal standards.