{"id":2000015423,"date":"2025-12-02T15:46:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T22:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/oit\/?p=2000015423"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:52:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:52:36","slug":"new-ai-assistant-for-digital-accessibility-guidance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/oit\/2025\/12\/02\/new-ai-assistant-for-digital-accessibility-guidance\/","title":{"rendered":"New AI assistant for digital accessibility guidance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Office of Information Technology recently developed a new tool to help our campus community create accessible digital materials in compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Boise State Digital Accessibility Assistant<\/strong>, available through <strong>boisestate.ai<\/strong>, is designed to support faculty, staff, and students to create and maintain accessible content across websites, documents, course materials, and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-how-to-access\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can access the AI assistant by browsing to <a href=\"https:\/\/boisestate.ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boisestate.edu\/ai\/<\/a>, signing in with your Boise State credentials, selecting the <strong>Explore<\/strong> button, and choosing the &#8220;Boise State Digital Accessibility Assistant&#8221; from the list of available assistants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-why-we-created-this-tool\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we created this tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digital accessibility is essential to ensuring meaningful access to information, services, and educational opportunities for all Broncos. With significant updates to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/compliance\/ada\/title-ii-rule-on-digital-accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/a> introducing new regulations for digital content, Boise State is committed to helping the campus community understand what these requirements mean and how to meet them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Boise State Digital Accessibility Assistant serves as a practical guide to help faculty, staff, and students make informed, accessibility-minded decisions as they create and update digital content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Providing step-by-step guidance, checklists, and plain-language explanations for accessibility best practices, the assistant is especially helpful for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WordPress <\/strong>and other types of web pages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Documents<\/strong> such as Word files, Google Docs, PDFs, and presentations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Emails <\/strong>and<strong> newsletters<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marketing materials<\/strong> including photos, graphics, and social media posts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Canvas<\/strong> course content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-grounded-in-university-resources-and-authoritative-sources\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Grounded in university resources and authoritative sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/webguide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/12\/grackle_docs_chat_example.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of results showing explanation, steps to take, and items to check manually\" class=\"wp-image-11893\" style=\"width:375px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Example of guidance provided by the Boise State Digital Accessibility Assistant for a question about how to make a Google Doc accessible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A highlight of the Digital Accessibility Assistant is its deep connection to the university\u2019s own standards and resources. The tool is trained to reference and summarize Boise State&#8217;s accessibility resources for WordPress, Canvas, and Google Workspace, in addition to external authoritative sources used throughout higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The guidance you receive is tailored to Boise State\u2019s digital environment while ensuring alignment with established accessibility standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-designed-for-everyone\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Designed for everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not everyone is an accessibility specialist, and that\u2019s okay! The Digital Accessibility Assistant explains concepts in clear, easy-to-understand language, making it a helpful companion for anyone who creates digital content, regardless of experience level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It focuses on what you can do right now to improve your materials, offering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Straightforward explanations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Concrete action steps<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Short checklists<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practical examples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Links to the most relevant university and external resources<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tool does <em>not<\/em> assess or certify compliance. Instead, it empowers you to understand and apply accessibility best practices as you work, one page and one file at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-get-started-today\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get started today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/boisestate.ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boisestate.ai<\/a> to access the Boise State Digital Accessibility Assistant and learn how to make your digital content more accessible for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact the Help Desk at (208) 426-4357 or email helpdesk@boisestate.edu for questions or assistance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Office of Information Technology recently developed a new tool to help our campus community&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":2000015424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2000015423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - 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