The Interim Technical Guidelines require the use of “clear and simple language”. Does the Policy regulate faculty instruction, research, creative activity and personal scholarship?
While this guideline (“Clear and simple language is used throughout the site) is sensible as a general requirement for Website accessibility, we expect that at a research university the language used in academic content (such as course materials, research and personal scholarship) would be expected to require a higher level of reading comprehension. Use of such language in these contexts will not be interpreted as noncompliance with the Policy’s accessibility requirements. This readability criterion would be expected to be applied to Web content that is mainly intended for public consumption or business purposes. Use of terminology specific to the higher education environment and that does not meet this readability criterion also will not be interpreted as noncompliance with the Policy’s accessibility requirements.
