Take advantage of summer training opportunities on digital accessibility

A letter from Provost Jesse Perez Mendez and Vice President Thomas Lane
Monday, May 19, 2025

Dear colleagues,

Summer has arrived, and we recognize that many are actively thinking about what the next few months will entail — and not just for the sunshine-fueled days and well-earned vacations, but in regard to how the summer months can be used to re-center and prepare for our next academic year. We have heard that preparation for digital accessibility compliance is top of mind for many of our faculty and staff following last month’s digital accessibility virtual town hall and numerous presentations from our task force over the past several weeks.

Pursuant to our implementation timeline, the digital accessibility task force is working hard to shepherd the onboarding process for our academic and web remediation tools ahead of the fall 2025 semester. Some of these tools have the ability to integrate with existing K-State systems, necessitating time and space to ensure successful technical integrations. Please bear in mind that these tools will allow more expeditious remediation, ensuring our community has the right resources at their fingertips. While the tools are being integrated and set up for use, the task force has also committed to develop training workshops that will launch with the tools in fall 2025.

All of that said, we acknowledge that it has left many wondering how they can get ahead and prepare over the summer. Here are some ideas to keep you moving forward:

Attend a Digital Accessibility Workshop: Instructional designers within the Center for Academic Innovation have scheduled their first training of the summer with their Digital Accessibility Workshop on May 22. All are invited to register to attend, as this workshop provides an opportunity to not just hear a presentation but to actively work on your course with support in the room. We heard the call for more opportunities to engage on this topic, so additional workshops are also scheduled over the course of the summer.
Connect with instructional designers in the Center for Academic Innovation: Can’t attend a live workshop? No problem – you can always reach out to the instructional design team within the Center for Academic Innovation by emailing idteam@k-state.edu. We've heard concerns about ensuring we have options for faculty who will not physically be on campus this summer, so please note that the instructional design team also offers online office hours via Zoom for any faculty member who wants to drop in on Tuesdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m., or Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m., no appointment required.
Attend an upcoming Web Services Update Meeting: The Web Services team within the Division of Communications and Marketing will take a deep dive into digital accessibility at its May 29 Web Services Update Meeting. All faculty and staff who are responsible for managing content and pages within the university’s Content Management System, or CMS, are welcome to attend this hybrid meeting.

As always, please continue to check back to the Digital Accessibility Initiative website over time, as the task force is adding new information and resources as they become available, including the new trainings and workshops page, resources page and the start of an FAQ page — content informed by the university community's feedback over the past several weeks. This is just the beginning of what the task force will aggregate for you to assist you as this initiative moves forward.

Happy summer — and go ‘Cats!

Jesse Perez Mendez
Provost and executive vice president

Thomas Lane
Vice president for academic success and student affairs and dean of students