热点大瓜

By Sarah Zamer
IT Communications Specialist

UBIT maintains assistive stations in public computing sites at both North and South Campus. These stations are equipped with specialized software designed to aid individuals with disabilities such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Echo Desktop, Fusion, Job Access with Speech (JAWS), and more.  

Assistive stations are available to all members of the UB community and designed to provide a fully comprehensive computing experience.

Vice President and Chief Information Officer Heath Tuttle, PhD said, “UBIT wants to ensure that our assistive stations throughout North and South Campus are not only accessible for everyone, but also supply the UB community with specialized, up-to-date software that can help anyone to be productive and successful on campus.”

In addition to assistive stations, UBIT and Accessibility Resources also host a site license for programs like Read & Write and Equatio. This is free to download for anyone with UBmail.

UBIT provides software for students, faculty and staff to learn, teach and work on campus. This software must also be accessible to all campus constituents. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that state and federal agencies give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all of their programs, services, and activities. 
 
When UBIT contracts with any software provider, the vendor is required to supply a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). This document provides information on how a software product meets accessibility standards under and the .  
 
“As one step in the software review process, a VPAT gives us a general sense of how well a product conforms to accessibility standards. We are able to quickly grasp a company's commitment to accessibility and where there may be limitations or barriers in their product,” said Mary Henesey, UB’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Officer.  
 
In addition to a thorough review of a product’s VPAT, the EDI accessibility team performs automated and manual testing on products to further evaluate their level of accessibility. 
 
This process ensures that all software vendors follow UB’s Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Policy. 

UBIT incorporates technology and follows important guidelines to ensure that UBIT’s digital content, such as webpages, documentation are accessible for all.  
 
UB follows the AA, which covers a wide range of standards for making digital content more accessible. These guidelines address accessibility of web content on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. 
 
Adobe Experience Manager is the web content management system (CMS) platform used to build all UB webpages.  This platform is thoroughly tested for the  

“I really appreciate having a web publishing tool that creates pages that work for everyone at UB, whether they are using a widescreen monitor or a screen reader,” said Dennis Reed Jr., UBIT’s webmaster and principal technology architect.  
 
UBIT also uses Siteimprove, a website monitoring tool that identifies accessibility issues on UB websites. The UBIT website is scanned weekly for accessibility and quality assurance issues. 
 
Other tools also incorporated to check web accessibility are axeDev Tools, Lighthouse, and HTML 5 Outliner. 

Unix Systems Administrator Logan Merrill said, “As someone who’s completely blind and works daily with Linux systems at UB, digital accessibility is absolutely essential. I rely on screen readers like JAWS and VoiceOver to interact with a wide range of tools—some are web-based, like Oracle's enterprise system monitoring tools, while others are local applications like SSH clients or SFTP utilities. Accessibility isn’t just about websites; it impacts every part of my workflow.”  
 
“UB’s commitment to following standards like WCAG 2.1 and the ADA, and their willingness to act on accessibility feedback—even with third-party vendors—has been key to ensuring I can do my job effectively. I also appreciate that UBIT regularly invites me to review materials for accessibility, which shows a real culture of inclusion and continuous improvement,” Merrill added.

UBIT along with all departments at UB are dedicated to an accessible environment, which involves collaboration and feedback both within and outside the university.  
 
According to the 2024 UBIT Student Experience Survey, students who disclosed using assistive technology with software like HUB, UB Learns, Zoom, and UBmail reported a 60% or higher approval rating in terms of the software being often or always accessible.

UBIT’s weekly meetings of the Software Review Team, which includes UB’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Officer, provide an opportunity to discuss accessibility requirements for new product requests. 
 
UBIT also meets with individuals who require assistive devices and technology to gain feedback and understand how to constantly improve accessibility at UB. 

UBIT meets with University Communications, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the to discuss requirements and updates about accessibility throughout the university.  

“Ensuring the accessibility of our electronic communications is not only a legal requirement, but is key to providing access and inclusion for everyone. From coordinating product reviews to implementing accessibility tools and technologies, UBIT’s partnership and collaboration have been essential to UB’s accessibility efforts and are deeply valued by EDI,” says Sharon Nolan-Weiss, Director for the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 
 
VPCIO Heath Tuttle, PhD added, “At UBIT, collaboration and partnerships between our staff and other university departments is vital to the work that we do, especially when it comes to accessibility. We continue to constantly strive for accessible technology services for all at UB.”  

Learn more about available technology at UB for students, faculty, and staff by visiting UBIT’s website.   
 
The UBIT Help Center is also available anytime to assist faculty and staff. Students can also reach out to The UB Tech Squad to get help with technology at UB. Book an appointment online at buffalo.edu/ubit/help or call 716-645-3542.