Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP)

The choice to deploy inaccessible digital solutions or services puts Portland State University (PSU) at risk, as it allows for the possibility that users with disabilities will have inequitable, if any, access to the product. In order to help mitigate this risk and ensure that equitable accommodation is made available at the earliest opportunity, procuring parties are expected to proactively establish equally effective workarounds and gather any associated resources necessary for the provision of accessible alternative formats and solutions.

The Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) Template allows procuring parties to document proactive, equally effective alternatives that allow users with disabilities to equitably accomplish all major functions or meet associated learning outcomes that are currently unfeasible via the product in question.

The EEAAP is not meant to serve as a comprehensive accommodations plan. Rather, it is meant to serve as a foundation and/or vessel for gathering relevant resources that will allow departments like the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and the Office of Human Resources (HR) to develop viable accommodations plans as quickly and efficiently as possible. Establishing an EEAAP may involve:

• gathering and storing root files (e.g. DOCX, JPEG, or PDF versions) of any static resources within the product, in order to make them available to the DRC or HR for modification with as little inconvenience as possible

• detailing a plan for how to extract root files (e.g. DOCX, JPEG, or PDF versions) of any evolving or fluid resources within the product that must be modified “in the moment,” in order to make them available to the DRC or HR for modification with as little inconvenience as possible

• documenting alternative pathways (e.g. via email or phone) for a user to accomplish a task, fill out a form, or complete a purchase that would otherwise be done via the product in question.

Completed EEAAPs should be shared with the DRC and HR as soon as possible via PSU’s EEAAP Shared Storage Google Drive folder.