WSCC Accessibility
Digital Accessibility at Walters State
Digital accessibility is about making sure everyone can use the information, tools and services Walters State provides online. That includes students, employees, and members of the public with disabilities. It is the right thing to do and it is part of our commitment to making Walters State welcoming and accessible to everyone.
It is also required by federal law. A U.S. Department of Justice rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act establishes WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the accessibility standard for web content and mobile applications provided by public entities. The requirement extends beyond the Walters State website to digital content and services the college provides or makes available.
What This Means for Walters State
Accessibility is a shared responsibility. No single office can make every website, document, system, and digital resource at Walters State accessible. The office or department that creates or controls content has a role in making sure people can use it.
- Communications and Marketing is responsible for the centrally managed public website and communications materials produced by the office. The team will continue improving the website, monitoring accessibility, and providing guidance and resources to the college.
- College departments and administrative offices are responsible for the accessibility of the content and documents they create and own. This includes PDFs, Word documents, forms, spreadsheets, presentations and other digital materials. Put simply: If your department creates it, your department owns its accessibility.
- Information Technology is responsible for institutionally managed technology systems and technical infrastructure. This includes helping assess systems and applications, addressing technical accessibility issues, and working with vendors when problems come from third-party platforms.
Training and Resources
You do not have to figure this out on your own. The Tennessee Board of Regents offers training, recordings, checklists and other resources that walk employees through common accessibility tasks.
Resources include training on:
- Microsoft products
- PDFs and Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Excel
- Forms
- Alternative text for images
- Web content
- Social media
- Flyers and public-facing communications
- Accessible purchasing
Academic and Classroom Materials
Faculty and academic departments have dedicated support for the accessibility of instructional and classroom materials.
For help with academic and classroom materials, contact:
Seth Kerney
Coordinator of IDEAS and Accessibility
seth.kerneyFREEWS
423.318.2721
Documents on the Walters State Website
Beginning February 4, 2027, Communications and Marketing will conduct an intensified review of documents hosted on the public Walters State website.
PDFs and other documents that do not meet accessibility requirements may be removed from the website until an accessible version is provided by the department or content owner.
Departments should begin reviewing the documents they own now and use the training and resources on this page to address accessibility issues.