Not only does it allow access to people with disabilities, it also gives those with slower modems or older computers easier access. The University has a responsibility to provide information in alternate formats for people who are blind, or visually or print-impaired. This has traditionally meant brailling or audiotaping documents. In the past, longer documents such as the UBC Calendar, for example, could not be easily accessed, if at all, by people who are blind, or visually or print-impaired. Reading such documents onto tape or brailling them is a laborious task.
Electronic formats offer flexibility in presentation and increased portability.
For instance, a person who is blind, or visually or print-impaired can read the UBC calendar online, or perhaps carry a copy of it in their pocket, on diskette. Finally, as we move to an age where more and more transactions are handled uniquely via the Web, it becomes crucial for us to make sure that we allow access to everyone. People with disabilities have the right to services offered to others, and it is UBC's responsibility to make sure that its course materials, services, information and other Web-based offerings are available to them. It is posted on the Web for accessibility and archival purposes, and is not updated after publication. It may be reprinted or adapted for academic non-profit purposes without permission, provided that Into IT and the author are clearly acknowledged.