Accessibility is Inclusivity
Inclusivity is one of the main tenets of our university and speaks directly to our Carolinian Creed:
Ensuring that people with disabilities can access and use our digital assets is paramount to providing inclusive digital experiences for all.
Disability and the Numbers
Many types of disabilities are invisible (e.g., dyslexia, hearing loss, or visual impairments), yet have a profound impact on students' lived experiences. It's more common for people to have a disability than you may realize. In fact, here are a few disability statistics as of 2024:
- Globally: over 1 billion people (1 in 6 people worldwide).
- United States: 27% (1 in 4 of Americans)
- South Carolina: 29% (about 1 of 3 South Carolinians)
- USC-Columbia: almost 4,000 students are registered with our USC Student Disability Resource Center.
- There may be many other USC sudents with a disability who have chosen not to register with the disability resource center.
- This also doesn't take into account any faculty and staff who have a disability at the university.
Our University Community Extends Beyond Campus
Think about how these disability statistics translate to our larger USC community members who visit our public-facing digital assets on a regular basis, including:
- Prospective Students
- Parents and Guardians of Students and Prospective Students
- Alumni
- Faculty and Staff Job Applicants
Digital Accessibility Benefits Everyone
Any member of our USC community may, from time to time, be unable to access content in a certain way due to their environment or situation.
Examples of Situational Inability to Access Content:
- A student who has broken their arm may not be able to use a mouse or keyboard for some time. They could benefit from using dictation software (or speech-to-text software) to navigate their device.
- A student whose roommate likes to play loud music may not be able to hear a video over the noise. They could benefit from the video's captioning.