Accessibility

Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) Accessibility

This webpage is about making WTAMU digital resources accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

Academic Accommodations

For academic accommodations, including those on campus, online or at the Amarillo Center, please contact:

Office of Student Accessibility
Physical location: Classroom Center 106, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas
Phone: (806) 651-2335
Email: osa@wtamu.edu

EIR Accessibility Comments

West Texas A&M University welcomes comments on how to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. If you use assistive technology and find that the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, or if you have accessibility concerns regarding electronic and information resources (EIR), please contact:

Accessibility Coordinator
Information Technology
West Texas A&M University
WTAMU Box 60811
Canyon, Texas 79016-0001
Phone: (806) 651-1241
Fax: (806) 651-1249
Email: accessibility@wtamu.edu

To enable WTAMU to respond in a helpful manner, comments should include your contact information, the nature of any EIR accessibility problem or suggested changes, and the preferred format for receiving any inaccessible material.

Introduction

Accessible electronic and information resources (EIR) can be used in a variety of ways and do not depend on a single sense or ability. WTAMU’s accessibility guidelines and procedures help make EIR accessible to the widest possible set of authorized users.

Making EIR accessible is a continuous process that includes planning, design, testing and maintenance. This process builds capacity and accessibility skills, over time. WTAMU faculty, staff, and vendors make EIR accessible because

it demonstrates good will and social responsibility,
it improves academic and professional results, and
it’s required by law and policy.

Law

The US Department of Justice approved new rules for digital accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Title II Regulations (opens new window). These rules apply to all public institutions of higher education, state and local government entities. These rules require that web content and mobile applications are readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Full compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (opens new window), Level A and AA standards is required by April 24, 2026.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved new rules for digital accessibility under the Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (opens new window). These rules apply to all recipients of HHS funding, which includes most higher education institutions. These rules require that institutions provide accessible web content, mobile applications, and kiosks. Full compliance with the WCAG 2.1 (opens new window), Level A and AA standards is required by May 11, 2026.

Texas state institutions of higher education are required by Texas Government Code 2054 (opens new window), Subchapter M, to provide state employees and members of the public (students are included as members of the public) with disabilities access to and use of EIR that is comparable to the access and use available to individuals without disabilities, unless it would impose a significant difficulty or expense on the institution.

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) adopted rules for institutions of higher education regarding the development, procurement, maintenance, and use of EIR to provide access to individuals with disabilities. These rules are Texas Administrative Codes (TAC) 206 (opens new window) and 213 (opens new window). These TACs align closely with the federal accessibility standards in Section 508 (opens new window) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 2018 (Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Final Standards and Guidelines).

Policy Statement

West Texas A&M University is committed to providing a working, learning, and service environment that affords equal access and opportunity to otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities, in compliance with federal and state law. Consistent with this commitment, the University strives to provide EIR that are accessible to all authorized users and that meet the requirements of the Texas DIR.

Applicability

Accessibility applies to all EIR developed, procured, maintained, or used by WTAMU.

Compliance

All applicable EIR must be compliant with the Texas DIR accessibility rules as specified in WTAMU Rule No. 29.01.99.W1 Information Resources (PDF) and the Web General Guidelines and Practices below.

WTAMU accessibility compliance and compliance testing responsibilities rest with the University EIR owner and / or the University site administrator of external affiliated websites.

EIR Owners

The EIR owner is the person responsible for the EIR, defined as the person with statutory or operational authority and responsibility at WTAMU for establishing controls for the EIR’s generation, collection, processing, access, dissemination and disposal. This might include a program director or project manager of an EIR application or project, a document or course content author, or a site administrator of an external affiliated website.

Exceptions and Exemptions

Approved exceptions to compliance with the Texas DIR accessibility rules allow a time-limited exception to the standard means of access to the EIR under consideration. Approved exceptions do not eliminate the University EIR owner’s responsibility to provide access to the EIR by an alternate method or in an alternate format. Any request for an exception to the Texas DIR accessibility rules must be submitted to the WTAMU accessibility coordinator for review and processing.

Statewide exemptions to compliance with the Texas DIR accessibility rules are granted by DIR and are posted on the EIR Accessibility Requirements, Exceptions, and Exemptions (opens new window) website.

State Website Guidelines and Practices

WTAMU official websites are state websites. A state website is one that is connected to the Internet and is owned, funded, or operated by or for a state agency or institution of higher education, including the homepage, all subordinate pages, and other key public entry points (KPEP).

As the image and reputation of WTAMU is determined by the quality of information that is conveyed to and accessible by our constituencies, content of all official University websites (all webpages residing on University servers or servers funded by University budgets) must be accurate, timely, and compliant with local, state, and federal laws.

Accessibility Guidelines and Standards

WTAMU uses the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (opens new window), Level A and AA, as the primary way to meet TAC 206 standards for state website accessibility.

WCAG 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible. Following WCAG 2.1 makes content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following WCAG 2.1 also often makes web content more usable to users in general.

Key Public Entry Points

A key public entry point (KPEP) is a webpage on a state website that is frequently accessed directly by members of the public, which an institution of higher education has specifically designed to enable direct access to official institution of higher education information.

WTAMU KPEPs include affiliated websites (official University websites not managed and/ or monitored by either the Offices of Communication and Marketing or IT), and must include the following links.

WTAMU Homepage (link) - www.wtamu.edu
University Link Policy and Privacy Statement (link) - www.wtamu.edu/privacy
University Accessibility (link) - www.wtamu.edu/accessibility
University Contacts (link) - www.wtamu.edu/contact

Testing

WTAMU uses a service called Siteimprove (opens new window) to monitor and manage webpages for inaccessible content.

WTAMU accessibility compliance and compliance testing responsibilities rest with the University EIR owner and / or the University site administrator of external affiliated websites.

Forms

Consistent with the Texas DIR State Website Linking and Privacy Policy, with few exceptions, state law gives you the right to request, receive, review, and correct information collected by forms.

In accordance with TAC Rule 206.72, any web-based form on an official University website that requests information from the public must have a link to the WTAMU Link Policy and Privacy Statement.

Link Policy

West Texas A&M University is committed to abiding by the link policy set forth by the Texas DIR State Website Linking and Privacy Policy.

In accordance with the recommendations from Texas DIR, the following disclaimers and guidelines are applicable to all webpages pertaining to www.wtamu.edu.

Disclaimer: West Texas A&M University disclaims responsibility for the accessibility, security or content accuracy of information for external (non www.wtamu.edu) website content. The liability of such pages rests on the site owner of the respective site.

Links

Links must be descriptive, clearly identified and must comply with the overall mission of the University and departmental goals. See the WTAMU Link Policy and Privacy Statement for more information.

External Websites

External websites are third-party websites not hosted on University servers, nor hosted on servers funded by University budgets.

External affiliated websites are webpages with content managed by WTAMU personnel on external websites (i.e., Facebook, X - formerly Twitter, or other external websites).

External Website Content

In instances where West Texas A&M University, or its entities, manage content on external webpages (i.e., Facebook, X - formerly Twitter, or other external websites) the accuracy of information is entrusted to the applicable site administrator(s). These site administrators are employees of West Texas A&M University. Any misrepresentation of West Texas A&M University, or its entities, on these or any other medium by WTAMU employees or non-employees should be reported to the Office of Communication and Marketing.

In accordance with recommendations from the Texas DIR State Website Linking and Privacy Policy, WTAMU disclaims liability for external website content.

Disclaimer: West Texas A&M University disclaims the responsibility for inaccurate or misleading information (including copyright violations, slander, libel, defamation and invasion of privacy) on external webpages. The responsibility of such actions rests on the individual.

Accessibility of External Website Content

WTAMU does not have direct control over the accessibility of external website content and therefore disclaims any responsibility in the neglect or absence of standards set forth for institutions of higher education by the state or federal government.

In instances where West Texas A&M University, or its entities, manage content on external webpages (i.e., Facebook, X - formerly Twitter, or other external websites), the applicable site administrators should abide by the guidelines set by the Office of Communication and Marketing to ensure the most accessible content available on the medium. Questions or concerns should be addressed to the web director, crea@wtamu.edu.

Questions and Contacts

If you have any questions about academic accommodations at WTAMU, please contact:

Paul Fenstermaker
Director of Student Accessibility Services
West Texas A&M University
WTAMU Box 60904
Canyon, Texas 79016-0001
Phone: (806) 651-2335
Email: osa@wtamu.edu

If you have any questions about EIR accessibility at WTAMU, please contact:

Lisa Caid
Accessibility Coordinator
West Texas A&M University
WTAMU Box 60811
Canyon, Texas 79016-0001
Phone: (806) 651-1241
Email: accessibility@wtamu.edu

If you have any questions about the practices of this site or your use of this website, please contact:

Chris Rea
Director of University Web Development
West Texas A&M University
WTAMU Box 60788
Canyon, Texas 79016-0001
Phone: (806) 651-2120
Email: crea@wtamu.edu

Statewide accessibility contacts:

Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities (opens new window)
Austin, Texas
Phone: (512) 463-5739
Fax: (512) 463-5745
Email: GCPD@gov.texas.gov

Electronic Information Resources Accessibility (opens new window)
Statewide Accessibility Coordinator
Department of Information Resources
Austin, Texas
Phone: (512) 463-6186 or (512) 475-4700
Email: statewideaccessibilitycoordinator@dir.texas.gov