Settlement reached in YSU disabilities case

YOUNGSTOWN — The U.S. Department of Education announced today that its Office for Civil Rights has reached an agreement with Youngstown State University to ensure that the school’s websites comply with federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability.

The office’s compliance review began in May 2013. The review addressed the accessibility of YSU’s website to people with disabilities, “particularly those with sensory impairments who might require the use of assistive technology to access the sites,” according to a letter sent today by the U.S. DOE’s Office of Civil Rights to YSU President Jim Tressel.

“I applaud Youngstown State University for agreeing to make its websites — through which it increasingly provides information to employees, applicants, students and others — fully accessible to all, including to individuals with disabilities,” Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a news release. “Web inaccessibility could significantly deter applications and participation from students with disabilities; this resolution ensures that Youngstown State can fully serve its entire student population, consistent with the law.”