Frequently Asked Questions: Oregon State University and National Federation of the Blind Settlement Agreement

Oregon State University has agreed to a $475,000 settlement with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a membership organization of blind people, which presented claims on behalf of a student, in response to concerns that OSU did not consistently provide on-time and accurate accessible course materials. OSU and the Federation have worked together to implement guidance for how the school can better meet the needs of blind and low-vision students in the future.

How is OSU improving its practices to better serve blind and low-vision students?

• Staffing and Oversight: Oregon State has elevated the role of director of Disability Access Services to an assistant dean, giving them more authority to advocate for students. Additional positions have been added to the DAS department to deliver services more promptly. In addition, OSU has hired an Accessibility Manager to oversee the timely implementation of its improvement efforts and will hire another staffer to help instructors design courses with greater accessibility in mind. OSU is also designating an accessibility technology specialist who will lead a campus-wide accessible technology review including software, student-facing websites and web applications.
• Policies and Procedures: Oregon State will codify new procedures for providing timely access to accessible course materials for all students, including quality control efforts to ensure that any developed materials meet or exceed accessibility standards and implement better procedures for escalating issues. Policies across various departments will be revised to meet these goals.
• Community Education: Oregon State will offer additional training for all staff involved with creating accessible curriculum materials. The university will also promote awareness of DAS procedures and resources with faculty members and will include communications about how to access services in future student orientations.

Why did OSU not initially meet the student’s accessibility needs?

Speed and accuracy can be challenging when making coursework for complex materials and images accessible. OSU’s Disability Access Services staff works diligently to meet every student’s needs, but the depth and complexity of the materials that needed to be adapted exceeded DAS capabilities at the time. Those capabilities are being improved, thanks to the student who raised concerns.

How does this settlement agreement affect other colleges and universities?

OSU will communicate its efforts to address accessibility needs with the National Federation of the Blind, which will use that information as it provides leadership to other institutions seeking to improve their accessibility for blind and low-vision community members.