Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan

By Policy and by practice, California State University San Marcos requires that Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) be accessible and usable by all people, including people with disabilities. Where it is not possible to provide fully accessible technology, an Equally Effective Access Plan (EEAAP) must be developed to document resources and processes for ensuring access to EIT products and services.

The EEAAP essentially asks the question: “What will you do if a person with a disability gets involved in your program and is impacted by the lack of accessibility on this technology?” It is intended to be a “Plan B” that is created and then brought out when needed. The Plan does not require the person to have an identical experience but should offer an experience that can provide a similar body of knowledge and learning opportunities as that gained by people who do not have the affected disabilities.

It is usually created at the time that the technology is acquired and is a core part of the university purchasing process. There is no one way to write an EEAAP. Each situation is different, and when put in to use for a specific person will be different. The EEAAP should be a general idea of what to do to work around the limitation of the technology.