The Penn State Story
In November 2010, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) filed a complaint against Penn State, contending that a variety of Penn State technologies and websites were inaccessible to people who are blind. Penn State entered negotiations with the NFB to resolve the complaint and develop an action plan.
The NFB complaint increased general awareness of the importance of accessible websites, courses, and tools, putting into motion a University-wide effort to comply with the resulting settlement. People and processes, like the Accessible Technology and Information (ATI) committee and Penn State's Accessibility website Links to an external site., were put in place to help ensure that we meet our obligations to people with disabilities and follow best practices for accessibility.
In 2020, the Accessibility Leadership Coordinating Group (ALCG) was formed to develop and implement the University Holistic Five-Phase Accessibility Plan Links to an external site., in order to support Penn State's accessibility initiatives in a combined holistic effort across the University. The ALCG initial stakeholders come from
- the IT Accessibility Group,
- Student Disability Resources,
- the University Libraries,
- the World Campus,
- the Commonwealth Campuses, and
- the Affirmative Action Office
Each University budget unit includes one or more Accessibility Liaisons Links to an external site. that serve as the point of contact for accessibility efforts in their areas.
Penn State Is Not Alone
Since 2010, many other universities, including MIT, Harvard, and UC Berkeley, have been sued faced accessibility lawsuits, complaints, and settlements
Links to an external site.. The number of accessibility lawsuits in higher education increases every year.
Creating courses that work for everyone is the right thing to do—and it's the law. Penn State has Policy AD 69
Links to an external site., and the Accessibility Laws, Policies, and Guidelines page in this module covers the laws that govern accessibility nationwide.