EEAAP stands for an “Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan”, and is a tool that colleges and universities develop and implement when technology causes barriers for individuals with disabilities. Ultimately, the EEAAP answers the question, “How can my user participate in my program, service, or activity with equivalent ease, timeliness, and independence if they encounter accessibility barriers with my technology implementation?”
It’s part of our DEI mission: Mount Holyoke College strives to build and maintain a campus environment that is inclusive, pluralistic, and free of discrimination. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts extend beyond specific departments and are embedded in all areas of the College.
It is MHC Policy: MHC’s Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Policy, approved by the officers of the College, reinforces federal and state mandates that require any programs, services, and activities that occur in digital environments be accessible to all community members.
It’s our legal obligation: Two federal disability-related civil rights laws that govern the obligations of postsecondary institutions with respect to the accessibility of digital environments are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended in the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA).
Technology is very rarely 100% accessible; therefore LITS recommends that the individual, office or department sponsoring the technology develop an EEAAP for any new technologies, and consider developing EEAAPs in support of existing technologies.
An EEAAP is an acknowledgment to provide equally effective alternative access, and a blueprint for doing so, ideally before buying and deploying technology.
