Welcome to Peninsula College’s centralized accessibility webpage, the “digital front door” to accessibility. This webpage gathers information from across the College to provide students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the community with a single-entry point for relevant information about access to Peninsula College programs, services, and activities.
- Commitment to Accessibility
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Peninsula College is committed to providing digital content that is accessible in compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the most current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). While you are visiting our site, you will notice that we make use of third-party sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram to promote us. Though individuals may have challenges with access to these particular sites, we do not control or remedy the way content is portrayed.
Peninsula College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. The College upholds and values the law regarding Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in education.
- Access Services
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Peninsula College is dedicated to providing a campus that is accessible, equitable, and inclusive to all. Access Services works with students, instructors, staff, administration, and the community to ensure that the accommodations necessary to create equal access are provided to all Peninsula College students. A variety of classroom accommodations are available upon student request. To arrange accommodations, contact our Access Services office:
Email: ssd@pencol.edu
Phone: (360) 417-6373
Video Phone: (360) 406-4759
- Report an Access Barrier
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Let us know if you see something that needs to be fixed or updated for accessibility.
ADA Rule on Digital Accessibility
On April 24, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a new rule on digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This rule requires Peninsula College's web content, including academic course content, to be accessible on April 26, 2027 and beyond. Please review the Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments cited below for complete details about the ADA's rule on digital accessibility.
ADA Title II Rule on Web Content & Mobile App Accessibility
- Accessibility is our Shared Responsibility
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The work in front of us is immense as everything the College does includes web content. The scope covers academic courses, and all services and programs we deliver to our internal and external communities. Complying with the new rule will require collaboration and partnership to ensure websites, documents, digital tools, and other web content are readily usable by all.
Access Services staff are working with College partners and coordinating College-wide efforts to create a detailed plan for compliance with timelines for action that will lead the College's work and priorities. We are working to establish effective infrastructure and expectations, and build our resources to reach the compliance deadline and beyond.
- About the ADA Rule
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Public entities often deliver services and programs through websites and mobile apps, which can create access barriers for people with disabilities when not designed with accessibility in mind. For example, blind individuals may rely on screen readers to interpret visual information on a website. However, if a website lacks alternative text to describe the image, these users cannot access publicly available information. The new rule aims to ensure that all people with disabilities have full and equal access to public entities services, programs, and activities available on mobile apps and websites.
Requirements
Public entities shall ensure that web content and mobile apps made available directly or through a contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, are readily accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Technical Standard
Public entities shall comply with the technical standard set by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA for web content and mobile apps. Public entities are required to adhere to these standards for all web and mobile content available to the public or used in services, programs, and activities.
Essential Definitions
- Web Content: The information and sensory experience communicated to the user by means of a user agent, including code or markup that defines the content’s structure, presentation, and interaction. Examples of web content include text, images, sounds, videos, controls, animations, and conventional electronic documents.
- Conventional Electronic Documents: Web content or content in mobile apps that is in the following electronic file formats: Portable document formats (“PDF”), word processor file formats, presentation file formats, and spreadsheet file formats.
- Mobile applications: Software applications downloaded and designed to run on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
Exceptions
In limited situations, some kinds of web and mobile app content may not have to meet the technical standard. The DOJ fact sheet has more details on each of these exceptions:
- Archived web content: Content not currently used or altered since being archived by a public entity, and kept only for reference, research, or record-keeping purposes.
- Preexisting conventional electronic documents: Documents available on a website or mobile app before the date of compliance.
Third-party content: Content posted by third parties, unless the third party is posting due to contractual, licensing, or other arrangements with the public entity. - Individualized password-protected documents: Password-protected or otherwise secured documents about a specific person, property, or account.
Preexisting social media posts: Social media posts made before the date of compliance.
Compliance Timeframe
Public entities with populations of 50,000 or more persons, including Peninsula College, must comply with the federal regulations by April 26, 2027.
- Additional Resources
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Accessible Technology Board Policy 506
Peninsula College provides equal opportunity in education, employment, and college activities regardless of race, color, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, creed, religion, military status, or any other unlawful basis. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination or sexual misconduct policies, contact Title IX Coordinator and Human Resource Officer, Hanan Zawideh at: hzawideh@pencol.edu or Employee ADA Coordinator, Kelley Opdyke at: (360) 417-7985 or kopdyke@pencol.edu or Student ADA Coordinator, Brad Baranowski at: (360) 417-6279 or bbaranowski@pencol.edu, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Port Angeles, WA.