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The Alabama Community College System, its member institutions and/or the Department
of Postsecondary own all photographs of students and participants (except where
noted) and reserve the exclusive right to use these photographs on this website
for the express purpose of portraying college events and student success stories
on this website. Use of the photographs or information about the students and/or
participants is expressly prohibited without specific written consent from the Department
of Postsecondary Education. All documents, data, and information is subjected to
an approval process in the Communications Division at the Department of Postsecondary
Education.
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The contents of this website are subject to change without prior notice. Information
on the Alabama Community College System website is provided by many different sources,
including our member institutions. While our goal is to ensure it’s accuracy and
maintain an up-to-date presence, we cannot guarantee that it always will be. If
you see something on the ACCS website that should be corrected or updated, please
send an email to the Department of Postsecondary Education’s (DPE) Communications
Division at dpecom@dpe.edu. Be
sure to reference the full URL of the page in your correspondence so we can quickly
locate the information in question.
The Alabama Community College System website is designed, updated and technologically
supported by the DPE Communications Division and the Information Technology Services
Division. Inquiries regarding technical problems with the website should be directed
to help@dpe.edu
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We want to be very clear: We prohibit commercial marketing of visitor information
and the disclosure of personal information without prior consent of the visitor.
We will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our
site, unless you choose to provide such information to us, such as an email address.
We use your email address to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you,
to address issues you identify, to further improve our web site, or to forward email
to another agency for appropriate action.
Web sites developed by the State of Alabama may use cookies to carry user information
from one page to another. An example is a search criterion. This information is
not stored on our server but on your workstation. We do not track this information
on our server. The cookies we use are set to expire at the end of your browser session.
This means that when you close your browser they are deleted.
Our server tracks statistical information (through the use of server logs) to help
agencies hosted on our servers analyze the use of their sites.
We collect and store only the following information about your visit:
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the name of the domain from which you access the Internet;
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the date and time you access our site;
- and the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site.
We use the information we collect to measure the number of visitors to the different
sections of our site, and to help us make our site more useful to visitors.
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In response to the need to ensure equal access to electronic and information technologies,
the state of Alabama has developed a set of standards for Web page design. Just
as environmental obstacles have inhibited individuals with disabilities, the Web
poses an entirely new set of obstacles. In recognition of those individuals with
visual, physical or developmental disabilities the State of Alabama has adopted
a policy to make government information accessible to all.
Design Standards
These standards are influenced by those recommended by the W3C and Access Board.
The Access Board is responsible for developing the standards outlined by the amended
Rehabilitation Act of 1998. Universal design calls for appropriate use auxiliary
aids and services where necessary to ensure communication.
The State of Alabama has adopted the Design of HTML Pages to increase accessibility
to users with disabilities as the primary guideline to meet the objectives of the
Universal Access for State Design policy. These published guidelines are maintained
by professionals trained in the area of assistive and information technology.
The State of Alabama embraces these standards and will evaluate its site on a regular
basis, increasing the opportunity for all individuals to access information over
the Internet. The Universal Access Design Standards are being integrated into State
of Alabama websites and will continue to evolve as new technologies and opportunities
emerge.
Multiple browser testing will be conducted on the current versions of popular browsers.
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Security is the most critical segment of the State of Alabama network. The State
of Alabama considers the security of our partners' and citizens' information critical.
We handle online information with commitment to ensure a secure environment that
can be trusted to fulfill all confidentiality requirements. Documented steps are
taken to safeguard information according to established security standards and procedures,
and the newest technology for protecting information is assessed continually.
Our server tracks statistical information (through the use of server logs and statistical
software) to help agencies hosted on our servers analyze and monitor the use of
their sites.
Sensitive information used in financial transactions, such as Social Security numbers,
banking information and personal data is confidential. ISD is committed to ensuring
our partners' and citizens' confidentiality through the use of state-of-the-art
information security and the adoption of appropriate privacy policies and procedures.
Please refer to individual Alabama State Agency Web Sites for their Security Policies,
which may differ from the one displayed here.
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The State of Alabama provides links to many Web sites that are not controlled, maintained,
or regulated by the State of Alabama or any organization affiliated with the State
of Alabama, and as such the State of Alabama is not responsible for the content
of those Web sites. Use of information obtained from those Web sites is voluntary,
and reliance on that information should only be undertaken after an independent
review of its accuracy. References at those Web sites to any specific commercial
product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, or otherwise does not constitute
or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the State of Alabama.
In the event you discover problems with or have concerns regarding the format, accuracy,
timeliness or completeness of a linked external Web site, please contact the organization
responsible for the linked external Web site -- the State of Alabama does not control,
nor is it responsible for, any linked external Web sites, pages, or content.
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Translations of the State of
Alabama
’s web sites are made through an automated/computerized process powered by
BabelFish, a free translation service.
Computerized translations are only an approximation of the Web site's original
content. The translation should not be considered exact and in some cases may include
incorrect or offensive language. Neither the State of Alabama nor any agency, officer,
or employee of the State of Alabama warrants the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness
of any information translated by this system and shall not be liable for any losses
caused by such reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information.
While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the translation, portions may
be incorrect. Any person or entity who relies on information obtained from the system
does so at his or her own risk.
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Design Standards for State of Alabama Web Developers
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Every graphic image will have an "alt" tag and a short description that is intuitive
to the user. If a graphic image is used as a navigation element, it will contain
text description and direction that is intuitive to the user. Decorative graphics,
such as bullets, will be set with an "alt" tag of <empty> as to not impede
screen readers.
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For every graphic element that uses an image map, alternative text of the hyperlink
will be provided.
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Web sites will have descriptive, intuitive text links and avoid the use of vague
references such as "click," "here," "link," or "this."
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An alternative form of access will be made available for online forms, such as an
email address or phone number.
- The use of frames will be avoided since they cannot be read intelligently by screen
readers, create navigation problems and are not supported by all browsers. alabama.gov
cannot be held responsible for sites outside the network that utilize frames.
The Law
The Section 508 Web Site is an excellent source for general information, standards,
evaluation, events, and resources surrounding Section 508, which will impact electronic
and information technology on the Web.
http://www.section508.gov/
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended for the Workforce Investment Act
of 1998. The content of this document directly relates to the Federal government
and any public or private industry contracting with the Federal government.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508law.html
Enforcing ADA compliance - The Department of Justice handles complaints and enforcement.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/enforce.htm
Title II, Section 508 speaks directly to state, local governments and all other
public entities. This highlights page provides a concise overview, abbreviated information
on specific chapters that must comply with ADA standards and information about the
complaint and enforcement process.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/t2hlt95.htm
HTML and Accessibility Standards: Checklists
The Web Accessibility Checklist - From the W3C, this checklist covers all three
priority levels of compliance and is much more in depth.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html
The Web Page Accessibility Checklist from the Department of Justice
http://www.section508.gov/
The Software Accessibility Checklist from the Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/archive/oldsoftware.html
The following "Quick Tips" introduce some key concepts of accessible Web design.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/References/QuickTips/
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