Equal Opportunity/Accessibility

Equal Opportunity

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments. USDA and USDA-funded programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or retaliating for prior civil rights activity (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

To file a program discrimination complaint with the USDA, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected].

For inquiries regarding university nondiscrimination policies, contact the Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education at 540-231-2010 or Virginia Tech, 220 Gilbert Street, Suite 5200, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the civil rights guarantee for persons with disabilities in the United States. It provides protection from discrimination for individuals on the basis of disability.

The ADA extends civil rights protections for people with disabilities to employment in the public and private sectors, transportation, public accommodations, services provided by state and local government, and telecommunication services.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in employment and education and complies with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities.

Policy and Related Information

• Policy 7215: Information Technology Accessibility
• Policy 4075: Accommodations of Employees and Applicants with Disabilities
• Section 508 Compliance Standards
• Assistive Technologies

Accessibility Evaluation Tools

• Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM)
• Section 508 Best Practices
• WCAG 2.0 guidelines
• Fangs Screen Reader Emulator for Firefox

Color Checkers

• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker
• Check My Colours — Color Contrast
• Color Blind Web Page Filter
• Vischeck Color Blindness Simulator

Documents and Video Accessibility

• Adobe Accessibility Resources
• Adobe Acrobat accessibility training resources
• PDF Accessibility Instructions from WebAIM
• Accessibility Checker for PDF Forms
• Creating Accessible Microsoft Office Documents
• Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations