The Office of Information Technology is pleased to announce a free course to achieve a Micro-Certification for Web Accessibility, a new professional development opportunity for staff and faculty that is the first of its kind at Boise State. This is a flexible, online course available anytime through Blackboard.
The course was designed and developed by Carolyn Quintero and Tammy Schmidt, OIT communications, to document, assess and validate accessible web design skills utilizing industry and disciplinary defined standards for Boise State’s WordPress environment via a flexible online format.
Quintero is a web accessibility analyst in OIT and has nearly a decade of experience in online education and student support, and a Masters of Arts in Technical Communications.Schmidt is an accessibility and training specialist in OIT and has over 25 years of experience in instructional design and training, and a Masters of Science in Instructional Design and Performance Technology.
Boise State’s Commitment to Web Accessibility
Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web, once said, “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”
This quote encompasses the spirit in which this badge course was created. One of the major goals of this course is to recognize users who create and publish accessible, inclusive content on the web. By providing real-world experience and exercises for users to hone their basic technology skills and incorporate best practices for web design into every aspect of their process, the Web Accessibility Micro-Certification Badge Course is helping Boise State reach its goal of an inclusive web environment.
According to Boise State University Policy 8140, “The University is committed to supporting an information technology (IT) environment that is accessible to all, and in particular to individuals with disabilities.”
Since 2016, Boise State has made concerted efforts to ensure that all web content published on our public-facing sites are accessible for all users. With over 42,000 individual webpages, 57,000 image and media files, and 217,000 hyperlinks, this is no small task.
While the Office of Information Technology and Office of Communications and Marketing have collaborated to host a series of in-person training sessions on topics covering web accessibility, they realize not all staff and faculty are able to attend these sessions.
As a result, OIT has created this new professional development opportunity for web accessibility.
More Information
More information about the Web Accessibility Micro-Certification Badge course here, or email oitaccessibility@boisestate.edu.