The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is committed to providing all users, including those with disabilities,
complete access to all of its web resources. IBHE utilizes the web to efficiently and effectively communicate the current and
future needs and requirements of higher education in the State of Illinois. IBHE determines those needs and requirements through
master planning with a focus on the coordination and efficient utilization of the facilities, curricula, and professional standards
for institutions of higher education in the areas of teaching, research and public service.
IBHE Information Management and Research staff strives to fully implement best practices in ADA website accessibility,
as required by Illinois and Federal law.
ADA Website Accessibility is the process of making web sites that can be used by everyone, regardless of ability or disability.
Despite the web’s great potential for people with disabilities, this potential is still largely unrealized. For example,
currently, the web is populated with many sites that can only be navigated using a mouse—this prevents individuals who cannot
use a mouse from accessing the content. Also, only a very small percentage of video or multimedia content has been captioned, which
prevent individuals with hearing disabilities from being able to properly access the material.
The major categories of disability types are: visual; hearing; motor; and cognitive. Each of the major categories of disabilities
requires certain types of adaptations in the design of the web content. Most of the time, these adaptations benefit nearly everyone,
not just people with disabilities. In other words, almost everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, properly organized content,
and clear navigation. Similarly, while captions are a necessity for individuals with hearing disabilities, they can be helpful to others,
including anyone who views a video without audio.
IBHE Information Management and Research staff welcomes your questions or comments. If you need any of our content in an alternative format or
for technical problems, ADA website accessibility issues, and requesting accessible services,
please contact us via our Webmaster@ibhe.org email
or call the IBHE: (217) 782-2551; TTY: (888) 261-2881