Preparing for the ACMM: Steps for Colleges and Districts

Colleges and Districts with an interest in participating in the Accessibility Capability Maturity Model (ACMM) can engage in a variety of preparatory steps, even if the organization has not scheduled an ACMM training and assessment. Colleges and districts can build a solid foundation for a successful ACMM implementation by working on any of the items below. Organizations can either choose items that reinforce existing accessibility efforts or those that require improvement in their organization.

1. Secure an Executive Sponsor for ACMM: This sponsor should be a Vice President or higher for single-college districts or a Vice Chancellor or higher for multi-college districts and will play a pivotal role in ensuring accessibility is an institutional priority. 
2. Establish a Work Group/Committee/Task Force: Establish a committee of stakeholders from across the organization to begin accessibility planning efforts, discuss areas of greatest need, and strategize ACMM goals and milestones.
3. Promote Accessible Document Training: The foundations of accessible digital content are consistent across all platforms. Encourage or require faculty and staff to register for WebAIM Accessible Document training. This training is paid for by the Accessibility Center and is available at no cost to the CCC.  
4. Create a Web Inventory: Gather a list of all websites and pages under the organization's purview, including the main website, departmental pages, and other affiliated websites. The Pope Tech Website Scanning tool can help with this inventory and identify accessibility barriers. This tool is paid for by the Accessibility Center and is available at no cost to the CCC.  
5. Collect ACRs/VPATs for Technology Purchases: Encourage or require purchase requestors to include an Accessibility Conformance Report (also known as an ACR or VPAT) with other pre-purchase documentation. This is an important first step in evaluating the accessibility of acquired technology products and services.
6. Replicate Effective Processes In Other Areas: Identify successful accessibility efforts and extend them to other areas. For instance, if you have processes or procedures that are working well for online classes (such as implementing Universal Design for Learning, including accessibility statements, or selecting captioned videos), extend these processes to in-person classes. If there is one department that has robust processes for checking marketing materials for accessibility, replicate these in other departments, etc. 
7. Address Accessibility Issues In Canvas: Instructors and support staff can quickly identify and remediate accessibility issues across one or several Canvas courses by using Pope Tech Dashboards for Canvas. Colleges and districts can install this tool in their Canvas instance and promote its use. This tool is paid for by the Accessibility Center and is available at no cost to the CCC. 
8. Have Regular Conversations About Accessibility: Emphasize the crucial role of accessibility in larger conversations surrounding strategic planning, communications, technology acquisition and implementation, DEIA efforts, events, teaching best practices, and other relevant areas. 
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