Below you will find information to guide students, employees and visitors towards support services, information and resources at AACC.
Accessibility is an approach to communication and engagement that recognizes the experiences and needs of our entire campus community. In accordance with federal and state laws, students, faculty, staff and members of the public with disabilities should be able to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability with ease of use.
Part of being an inclusive community is making our campus and indoor and outdoor spaces accessible to students, faculty, staff and others so they can participate fully in college activities and events. Physical accessibility involves careful consideration of the needs of individuals with disabilities when getting to, entering and exiting and using our buildings, facilities and physical spaces.
By ensuring that our technology is accessible to everyone, we build an inclusive experience that is mindful of everyone’s different needs and ways of interacting with our systems, websites, content, and courses.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities and prevents discrimination on the basis of disability. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
Title II of the ADA prohibits public colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions from denying qualified individuals the opportunity to participate in or benefit from their aids, benefits or services, including online programming and services. Public and private colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions must take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others, including providing appropriate auxiliary aids and services, which includes qualified interpreters, open and closed captioning and accessible electronic and information technology. They must also make reasonable modifications of policies, practices and procedures to avoid discriminating on the basis of disability and, where necessary, to afford their goods and services to individuals with disabilities. Learn more about ADA.
To read AACC’s ADA Statement or learn how to file a complaint of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct or retaliation, please visit our Americans with Disabilities Act webpage.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehab Act) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, including higher education and other postsecondary institutions, in federal employment and in the employment practices of federal contractors.
Section 504 states that no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of their disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Most public and private colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions are recipients of financial assistance from the Department of Education, and all of their operations, including all online programs and activities, are covered by Section 504. The ADA and Section 504 apply not only to the services, programs and activities that postsecondary institutions offer to students but also to those that they offer to the general public. All members of the general public, including those with disabilities, are qualified to avail themselves of those programs and services.
Section 508 establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured or used by the federal government or entities receiving federal financial assistance. Section 508 requires federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of guidelines for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG covers websites, applications and other digital content. It is developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG is an international standard. For more information about WCAG, visit the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative website.
