You are here
Digital Access Initiative
WELCOMING AND ENGAGED
Pitt IT is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive digital environment. We partner with innovative offices, centers, and authorities to empower individuals through technology.
Improving Digital Access
In collaboration with the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the University Center for Teaching and Learning, Pitt IT is addressing accessibility in our digital landscape. Individuals with visual impairments were sometimes using extremely outdated accessibility software because they were reluctant to approach their departments about an expensive upgrade. To address this challenge, Pitt IT began offering Fusion screen magnification and accessibility software through the University’s software store. This made a critical accessibility tool simpler to obtain and significantly less expensive to purchase, as well as ensuring delivery of the latest feature updates and enhancements. In Harrisburg, Pitt IT worked with the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) to spark a dialogue on digital equity planning and community health. As a valued thought partner for the PBDA, Pitt IT has been asked to participate in several working groups and taskforces. Pitt IT is always ready to lend our expertise to better support every individual in our communities.
Driving Growth through Broadband Infrastructure
Pitt IT built relationships and invested in listening to the regional needs of stakeholders in 41 counties. That investment helped fuel the development of multiple regionally-based collaborative initiatives to drive economic success via broadband infrastructure projects. These projects will be submitted for competitive federal funding from the bipartisan Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. If awarded, they could deliver high-speed service to up to 8,000 unserved and underserved PA households and businesses, and represent subsidy awards of over $500 million, in addition to hundreds of millions in private investment dollars, workforce development opportunities, and business partnership efforts throughout the Commonwealth.