ADA compliance

The Libraries and Instructional Media Services (IMS) strive to accommodate users with disabilities in a variety of ways. The Libraries and IMS actively include consideration of ADA concerns in policy and decision making.

PCC office for students with disabilities

The Libraries and IMS work closely with the Office for Students with Disabilities in making accommodations for disabled users.

Equipment

Adaptive computer equipment is available in all libraries
All television equipment has closed caption translators as standard equipment.

Acquisitions

The library always purchases films and videos with closed captions or sub-titles when they are available.
The library lobbies video vendors to increase the availability of closed caption materials by noting its preference with every video ordered.
The library encourages faculty to be aware of the need for closed captioning when they request the purchase of new materials.

Web pages

IMS and the Libraries work actively to assure that library and instructional web pages created at PCC are usable by visually impaired users.

Closed captioning and technology issues

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 included requirements that people with disabilities have access to information distributed via new technologies. The Federal Communications Commission is the regulatory body that makes the rules as to how that happens. The Commission's Disabilities Issues Task Force researches the issue. Consult these web pages for current information http://www.fcc.gov/cib/dro/or http://www.fcc.gov/dtf/dtftele.html

The Act and the FCC specifically talk about closed captioning for video programs and "disability friendly" web pages. Many groups around the country are actively working on guidelines and policies to implement the law. For example, see a paper presented at an American Bar Association meeting dealing with web accessibility. ( http://www.isc.rit.edu/~easi/law/weblaw1.htm)

At PCC, the director of the Office of Students with Disabilities (Clark Hochstetler, chochste@pcc.edu) has the responsibility for monitoring and implementing compliance.

The library's collection of older films and videos is under review to confirm whether or not closed captions are present. (1999-2000)

Inventory records in the online catalog will include a note if captions are found.
Caption information will have an index entry so users can search for captioned materials.
OSD may be able to find funding to add captions to those without.
In the meantime, the OSD will provide translation assistance if non-captioned films are required viewing for any class.
If new purchases do not have a vendor-supplied close caption indicator (a "CC" enclosed in a stylized TV box) the new item will automatically be reviewed.