University and Center for IT Excellence Host Universities and School District for WebAIM Training

By Sara Wray and Julia Gessner

Texas A&M University-Commerce's Center for IT Excellence and Texas A&M University-Central Texas recently co-hosted a training together presented by Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM).

“In collaboration with our sister university A&M University-Central Texas, we hosted WebAIM trainers and other system members to receive one-on-one accessibility training and have all questions answered,” IT Accessibility Director Lydia Harkey said. “The presentation began for novice to learn more about web accessibility and web development. They also learn what tools and resources are available and what can be shared and implemented immediately at our respective universities.”

WebAIM provides instruction on bringing web pages and other electronic information into accessibility compliance. The training provided information for web developers, instructional designers, program managers, and LMS administrators, covering basic web accessibility principles to advanced accessibility techniques.

“The training was very informative and the presentation was excellent,” Texas A&M Forest Service Software Application Developer Nikki Mahapatra said. “We were able to learn a lot about web accessibility and new tools that we can use while developing web pages and software. I strongly recommend WebAIM accessibility training.”

Additionally, the training ensured that trainees got the information they need to know to make sure their website meets legal guidelines and international standards.

“By attending this workshop, I went from knowing virtually nothing about accessibility to feeling very confident about the process of bringing our website up to the accessibility standards it needs to be at in order to best serve our community,” Kent Murray, Killeen ISD web designer/developer said.

There were 38 participants from the universities in The Texas A&M University System, including Commerce, Central Texas, College Station, International, Kingsville, Prairie View, Texarkana, Forest Service, and Health Science Center, and also included representatives from Killeen Independent School District.