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Welcome to our JanuaryÌýissue of the Accessibility Minute Newsletter! This newsletter is produced by the CU Boulder Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) and covers one accessibility skill or topic per month. Please visit the DAO website to access past newsletters. As always, thank you for taking a minute (or two) to read.

As we transition our Accessibility Minute newsletter to this new platform, we welcome during this time.

Reflecting on the Journey of the Digital Accessibility Office

As we conclude our tenth year as CU Boulder’sÌýdigital accessibility program, we would like to take a moment to reflect on our journey and highlight the two significant lessons that have emerged as our guiding principles:

• Building an accessibility program takes time.
• Culture change is the forever goal.

Building an Accessibility Program Takes Time

Developing an accessibility program is a gradual process. While we acknowledge there is still room for improvement, we want to highlight the achievements we've made over the past ten years. These milestones demonstrate that the DAO's current state is the result of continuous adaptation and improvement, rather than an overnight transformation. Over time, we've consistently refined our services and approach to better meet the needs of our campus.

Key Milestones

• 2014: CU Boulder receives an inquiry from the Department of Justice about the accessibility of its digital environment, particularly for students.
  • We begin testing applications and websites for accessibility issues internally.
• 2015: A digital accessibility policy is developed and adopted. The procurement workflow is revamped to ensure that vendors commit to delivering accessible solutions.
• 2016: Captioning service is launched to fulfill student accommodations.
• 2018: Digital accessibility efforts are consolidated into a single unit with staffing equivalent to about 4-5 full-time employees.
• 2021: The first Accessibility Minute newsletter is published, marking a new chapter in campus-wide education and outreach.
• 2022: A week-long celebration during Disability Awareness MonthÌýcomprised ofÌýa community resource fair, accessible yoga class, and a public-facing digital accessibility conference.
• 2023: The first Digital Accessibility Buff Award is presented to recognize and celebrate accessibility champions on campus.
• 2024: Our social media surpasses 1,000 followers. More than 1,000 individuals are trained internally in accessibility practices annually, and we begin offering in-house captioning services.

These milestones represent significant points of progress and learning. While the work can be challenging and require adjustments as we move forward, these milestones demonstrate the tangible impact of our efforts.

Culture Change: The Forever Goal

Improving the digital experience for people with disabilities requires more than policies and services; it demands a cultural shift.ÌýThroughout our journey, we have found that working toward achieving this goal requires two essential components:

1. Established practices and services: Over the past ten years, we’ve worked to build a robust framework of practices, policies, and services supported by a dedicated team of experts. This scaffolding is critical for ensuring consistent and reliable accessibility efforts.
2. Campus-wide engagement: True culture change occurs when everyone—faculty, staff, and students—understands their role in our collective goal toward an accessible digital environment. From creating academic content to sharing research and managing administrative workflows, accessibility must be embedded into daily practices.

Sharing Our Journey to Support Yours

We recognize that each institution and organization’s journey toward accessibility is unique. By sharing our journey and significant lessons learned along the way, we aim to provide insight for those working to build or further develop their digital accessibility programs.