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Plan for New Content

Overview

The Mission of Iona University, in part, states the University’s purpose is to foster intellectual inquiry, community engagement, and an appreciation for diversity. Iona University is committed to providing a supportive educational environment for all persons in ways that promote independence and individual dignity and the integration of mind, body and spirit.

Iona University commits to provide a website accessible to persons with diverse needs by complying with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 for web content.

Iona University currently uses the Drupal Content Management System to manage all pages under the www.iona.edu sub-domain. Iona’s site provides general information about the university, news, events, admissions, academic, athletics and other information. The University has implemented a web governance platform, Monsido, to automatically scan every single webpage every five days and identify issues and, specifically, inaccessible content and to report them to the webmaster and persons s/he designates to resolve identified issues.

As Iona University uses its website to inform and promote our initiatives, it is imperative that we look ahead to create an environment as one that can be shared and experienced among all users and potential users. The University has developed this web governance strategy with accessibility at the forefront.  The strategy will address the following elements:

  • Overall website expectations/compliance
  • Streamline/deletion of outdated content
  • Use of provided templates
  • Use of photos/videos/graphics/fonts and colors
  • Making use of embedded calendar feeds
  • Dedicated commitment/monitoring
  • Continued training
  • Contact information for troubleshooting

Overall website expectations/compliance

The Marketing and Communications Department (Marcom) has and will continue to maintain the bulk of site’s content within the Drupal CMS. Information that is posted will be current and relevant. Marcom will not add web pages to the site of organizations that are not affiliated with the University. Marcom also maintains the content on the Athletics site using the SIDEARM Sports system. The Library department will maintain any and all pages of the Library portion of the site and the Information Technology Department will maintain any and all content relating to the Information Technology section of the site.

The webmaster will continue to maintain and develop site-wide templates that are used to create all of the site’s HTML-based content located at the www.iona.edu sub-domain. Any HTML/CSS/JavaScript update that is required to make a template accessible will continue to flow through that office.

As a general guideline, Iona University will not post non-HTML content. Any proposed PDF document should be analyzed for conversion to simple, and logical, HTML. In instances where PDF and/or non-HTML content necessitates that content be posted “as-is” to the site, the content must pass accessibility guidelines for that particular content-type.

Departmental pages should only post necessary information.

In order for any third-party applications to be embedded on the website, they are expected to comply with the same website accessibility guidelines followed by the University. Therefore, new contracts entered into by the Iona University, for use on the website, will be reviewed for verifiable language of such commitment. Iona University will implement a VPAT document to send to third party vendors to identify their level of accessibility compliance, and moving forward, will partner with vendors who provide accessible products.

Streamlining and removal of outdated content

As part of this content plan, the University is committed to streamlining the layout of the overall website. Consistent patterns of use within the site’s templates will help to maintain a user-friendly baseline that focuses on relevant, accessible content verses quantity of content.

The University expects outdated, irrelevant content to be promptly deleted. Files and folders within the Drupal CMS should be examined monthly for obsolete material. Links within the website will be clearly labeled and placed consistently throughout, allowing all readers to move seamlessly through related pages.

Time-sensitive information, will continue to be updated throughout the website. For instance, changes to calendared dates, must be managed carefully to avoid miscommunication.

Use of provided templates

Web content updates will be restricted by the main templates provided by the Drupal CMS platform. Adjustments to templates can only be made only with approval of the webmaster to ensure accessibility standards are followed. The templates will include a link to the University’s website accessibility statement which reads as follows:

Iona University is committed to ensuring that its website is accessible to persons with disabilities. The University is working towards meeting W3C WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA conformance. Although the university continually does due diligence to make our site accessible, third-party websites and third party providers may still offer non-accessible content.  The University makes every effort to ensure this does not occur. Should you encounter any issues with the Iona University website, please report them to the Webmaster at webmaster@iona.edu for an alternative presentation.

The above information will be prominently displayed via a link to a “Website Accessibility Statement” in the footer of the University’s home page and each page throughout the website, including all subordinate pages and intranet sites owned and managed by Iona University.

Use of photos/videos/graphics/fonts and colors

Photos, videos, and other non-HTML content can be difficult to absorb in a screen reader or other assistive device. Iona University is committed to posting non-HTML content only on an as-needed basis with care to ensure readability.

Photos and graphics must be accompanied by alternative text, unless used solely for decorative purpose. When possible, site administrators will avoid using images of text. If a text graphic is used, it must have appropriate alternative text. Avoid using animated GIF files.

University policies on use of photos/videos/graphics, include:

  • Iona University (the "University") may, at times, use photographs, photographic images, names, audio recordings, and/or video recordings of employees and students for purposes of general publicity and/or student/employee recruitment in publications, public relations, promotions, publicity and advertising. Should an employee or student (or, if under 18 years of age, his/her parent/guardian) NOT want to be photographed or recorded, or have their name, voice or biographical material used in connection with any such recording, please obtain a copy of the appropriate Opt Out of Photograph Release form. Complete it by October 1 and return it to the Office of the Vice Provost for Information Technology. Unless a fully executed Opt Out of Photograph Release form is on file for you, you, along with fellow students, as well as University employees and all other persons who are present in or around facilities and/or properties owned and/or operated by the University will be subject to having your image and/or likeness captured by still photography, videography or other photographic or electronic means. In addition to use for security purposes, the University reserves the right to use any such image, photograph, video or the like, for any University-related purpose, including but not limited to promoting, publicizing and/or advertising on behalf of the University. Such images, photographs, videos and the like may be used in print publications, on the Internet or in other forms of media such as signage and/or presentations. Accordingly, unless you complete an appropriate Opt Out of Photograph Release form, your presence in or around University facilities and/or properties, as well as at off-campus University sponsored events, will constitute your consent to the capturing and/or use of your image and/or voice by the University and will expressly and impliedly waive any claims or rights, whether in law or equity, related thereto.  An employee or student who does NOT want to be photographed or recorded, and who submits an appropriate completed Opt Out of Photograph Release form indicating as such, is responsible for removing themselves from the area in which the photographing/recording is occurring, both on campus and at off-campus functions, or notifying the camera person on site of their opt out status. Failure to do so may result in the employee's and or student's inclusion in a photograph or recording and will be treated as a release, allowing the University to utilize that photograph or recording accordingly.
  • Unauthorized use of copyrighted material is prohibited. This includes any stock photography and/or clip art.
  • Official logos of Iona University may only be resized to maintain aspect ratio and abide by the Editorial Style Guide and Brand Reference Guide documents maintained by the University’s Marketing and Communications office and posted on the university website.

 All videos and audio files:

  • Must evaluated for long load times and compressed when appropriate.
  • Must also include closed-captioning and an accompanying script.
  • Must also include video descriptions when appropriate.

All fonts/colors requirements:

  • Must avoid styling fonts in any way inside of the CMS WYSIWYG windows.
  • Must avoid selecting specialized fonts when creating non-HTML documents. Stick to basics, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, or Times, depending on the type of computer you use.
  • Must avoid color schemes that make pages difficult to read.
  • Must avoid colors/fonts not outlined as part of the Brand Reference Guide.

Calendars and Calendar Feed Widgets

Making use of the calendar data is an essential part of how the University communicates events to constituents. The focus is to list events, activities, and information that can be valuable and can be used as informative material for University planning.

Dedicated commitment/monitoring

As previously stated, Iona University is committed to ensuring equal access and participation for people with disabilities, including treating people with disabilities in a way that allows them to maintain dignity and independence. We believe in integration, and are committed to meeting the needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner. The University will do so by removing and preventing barriers to accessibility by complying with the accessibility of online content and functionality under the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C’s) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 for web content.

The Monsido software will provide a comprehensive listing of errors related to accessibility on the university website. The service also provides suggestions on how to repair said issues. The University Webmaster and the Marketing and Communications office have been designated by the University, as a joint effort, to monitor the maintenance related to keeping the website accessible for those with disabilities. The Webmaster will have ultimate decision making authority over web content and display.

Continued training

All employees with access to update the web page must complete website accessibility certification. The webmaster has completed this training.

Website updaters are required to complete accessibility certification prior to assuming responsibility for website content maintenance and prior to receiving access to the site.  In addition, accessibility training will be provided to new employees on-boarding to the University throughout the year.

Contact information for troubleshooting

For assistance or additional training on the Drupal CMS, contact your Webmaster.

NOTE: Review this New Content Strategy document regularly. As technology evolves, guidelines could change frequently.