Access Institute Disclaimer
Access Institute is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that provides mental health programs for under-served individuals in the community to develop healthier behaviors and relationships as well as clinical internship training to therapists. This website does not provide medical advice and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For an accurate diagnosis of a mental health disorder, you should seek an evaluation from a qualified mental health professional. If you feel you’re experiencing a potentially life-threatening problem, please call 911 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A core value and objective of Access Institute is to preserve the confidentiality of any person who participates in the services provided by Access Institute. As users navigate within our website, no employer, healthcare company, or sponsoring organization can identify any individual who has visited the website. We are committed to protecting your personal privacy. (First sentence refers to clients; second refers to users of website. If this policy is directed towards website users, perhaps change first sentence to: A core value and objective of Access Institute is to preserve the anonymity of any person who visits our website.)
The only information that can be collected and reported is aggregate in nature and pertains to general information regarding the number of visitors to the website and those who have emailed us directly with questions through our contact form or who have asked to be added to our mailing list.
ACCESS INSTITUTE CODE OF CONDUCT AND PRIVACY POLICY 2019
Last updated 1/19/2019
COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY
Primary Responsibility
The primary responsibility for all employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute is to work in service of the organization’s mission as stated in the “Our Mission” section of this website and to treat all members of our community with dignity and promote a healthy discourse in the mental health community.
At no time should a person interacting with Access Institute have an expectation of diagnosis, therapy or any form of treatment. (Again, if we’re addressing website users, perhaps first sentence could read: At no time should a person using the Access Institute website have an expectation of diagnosis, therapy or any form of treatment.) The information and advice published or made available through this website is for informational purposes only, is not a substitute for professional medical advice or services, and does not constitute a physician-patient or a therapist-patient relationship.
You should not use the information from any Access Institute postings, articles or any other materials for diagnosing or treating a mental health condition. You should consult a physician or other health care provider in all matters relating to your health, and particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on your part in response to the information provided in this website is at your discretion. Access Institute makes no representations or warranties with respect to any information offered or provided on or through any Access Institute materials regarding treatment, action, or application of medication.
Non-discrimination
Employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute do not condone or engage in any discrimination based on age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic status.
Employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute do not condone or engage in sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as any solicitation, physical, or verbal or nonverbal conduct that is sexual in nature that occurs in connection with professional activities or roles, and that is either unwelcome or offensive, or creates a hostile workplace or learning environment, or is sufficiently severe or intense to be perceived as harassment to a reasonable person in the context in which the behavior occurred. Sexual harassment can consist of a single intense or severe act or multiple persistent or pervasive acts
Confidentiality & Privacy
Unless expressly stated no person shall have any expectation of privacy or confidentiality regarding any information shared with Access Institute by way of social media or user-generated content.
Please read this Privacy Policy before using or submitting information on our website or social media platforms. BY ACCESSING AND USING ANY ACCESS INSTITUTE WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY AND THE TERMS OF USE. Your access of the Access Institute website or social media platforms for the limited and exclusive purpose of reviewing this Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice does not constitute your acceptance unless you make any further access or use of our website.
Updates to Policy
This Policy is subject to change without prior notification. Any changes will be posted on this page, and we will update the “Updated and Effective” date to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use the Access Institute website or social media platforms after the posting of such changes, you accept the Policy as modified. Collection of Information, including Personally Identifiable Information for purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personally Identifiable Information” means information by which you can be individually identified, including, but not limited to, your name, address, email address, and telephone number. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected from offline resources and communications, except in cases where such information is consolidated with Personally Identifiable Information collected by Access Institute for the Access Institute websites or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy does not apply to any third party websites linked to Access Institute website or social media platforms. Access Institute is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of third party sites.
Intended Users
This website and policy are intended exclusively for users in the United States of America, and more specifically, for those in the San Francisco, California area where our services are provided. It is not our intent to gather Personally Identifiable Information from individuals residing outside the U.S. Your access to and use of the Access Institute website or social media platforms constitutes acceptance of this Privacy Policy and consent to Access Institute collection and use of your information as outlined below.
Children
Children Under Age 13 – We do not intend to collect Personally Identifiable Information from children under 13 years of age. If there is reason to believe that a child under 13 has provided us with Personally Identifiable Information, the parent or guardian of that child should Contact Us to request deletion of this data from our files.
Adolescents Ages 13 through 17 – For adolescents 13 through 17 years of age, we require any identified adolescent to provide parental contact information when providing us with Personally Identifiable Information. The parent will receive copies of all electronic and USPS communications and will be provided with the opportunity to remove the adolescent from any such program(s). If for any reason the parent or guardian wishes to remove that adolescent from our communication lists, he or she may Contact Us to request the opt-out or deletion of the adolescent’s data and we will make reasonable efforts to remove all Personally Identifiable Information related to the adolescent.
Technical Information That Is Always Collected
We collect and store certain information with the goal of improving the content and services offered on our web sites during each user visit (“session”) but do not use this information to personally identify you. This Technical Information includes: (i) the domain and host from which you access the Internet; (ii) the Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to the Access Institute website, if applicable; (iii) the date and time you arrived at our website and how long you spent on the web site and which pages you visited; (iv) your Internet Protocol (IP) address; and (v) your computer’s operating system and browser software.
Information That Is Collected Only if You Submit It to Us
We collect your Personally Identifiable Information on our website only if you choose to provide it. We will collect and store the information you enter through interaction with the Access Institute website, which currently only includes: (i) sign up for an event (such as our annual Spectrum event), donation, or other engagement; (ii) send us an email; (iii) submit your name and email in order to join our mailing list; or (iv) otherwise voluntarily submit Personally Identifiable Information to Access Institute. Please note that while you are logged in to an Access Institute website, your actions in that browsing session may be associated with your information.
We may combine the Personally Identifiable Information you share with us through this website with other information you have shared with us, both online and offline. We may also combine this Personally Identifiable Information with records provided by third parties. We use this consolidated information to help us better design Access Institute website and services, to communicate information to you, to enhance our marketing and research activities, and to facilitate other business functions.
Use and Disclosure of Information, Including Personally Identifiable Information
Use and Storage of Information
Technical Information may be used for improving the content and services offered on our web sites. Personally Identifiable Information collected on our web sites may be used by Access Institute personnel, or a third party working on behalf of Access Institute, to: (i) contact you to obtain more information; (ii) improve the web site; (iii) personalize your experience on the web site; (iv) comply with legal requirements; (v) provide you with information or services that you have requested; or (vi) provide you with additional information that Access Institute believes may be of interest to you.
Access Institute or its affiliates, subsidiaries, business partners, and vendors who assist Access Institute in providing services to you (collectively, the “Service Providers), may use such information for the purposes of carrying out the services described in this Policy. Access Institute reserves the right to maintain all information in electronic and/or an offline form, for archival purposes and as otherwise required by law.
Disclosure to Third Parties
Access Institute does not provide Personally Identifiable Information about our web site visitors to third parties except: (i) Service Providers, as defined above; (ii) in connection with security or law enforcement investigations or in the course of cooperating with authorities; (iii) to comply with legal requirements or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims; (iv) when we believe it is necessary to share information in order to assist in an investigation regarding, or to prevent, illegal activities, suspected fraud, or potential threats to the safety of any person.
Any third party with whom we share your Personally Identifiable Information shall be required to treat such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Aggregate Data
We may use or share aggregate data (information about our base of users in general, from which all Personally Identifiable Information has been removed) for any purpose. When you send us an email through the Contact portion of our website or enter your email address and fill out the form to join our mailing list you are granting us access to use this Personally Identifiable Information collected to respond to your inquiries and/or to send you information/newsletters, fulfill email messaging programs, and notify you about new content or services on our website. Your request for information or services is also known as “opting in” to receive communications. By opting in to Access Institute emails, you also agree to the use of email analytics (described below).
Opting Out/Unsubscribing
If you decide you no longer wish to receive promotional email communications from Access Institute, you may opt out at any time by using the contact information below or following the opt-out instructions contained in promotional email communications from Access Institute. You may opt out of other types of promotional communications by contacting us through one of the methods described under “Contacting Access Institute,” below. If you opt out of receiving promotional communications from Access Institute, you may continue to receive non-promotional communications, such as information about news or changes to donation programs in which you are enrolled. If you have opted out of promotional Access Institute communications and subsequently request information from Access Institute, Access Institute will contact you to answer your request.
Updating Personally Identifiable Information
Access Institute is committed to maintaining accurate Personally Identifiable Information. You may always contact us to update or request the correction of your Personally Identifiable Information. Access Institute will make reasonable efforts to comply with your correction/update request.
Contacting Access Institute
If you have any questions or concerns about the way your Personally Identifiable Information is used and handled, or would like to update or remove your Personally Identifiable Information, please email us [email protected], call 1-415-861-5449, or write to:
Access Institute
110 Gough Street
Suite 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
Attn: Privacy Policy
Access Institute takes reasonable precautions to keep all information obtained from web site visitors secure against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, including encrypting Personally Identifiable Information during the transmission of such information. Nevertheless, Access Institute makes no guarantee as to the security of your Personally Identifiable Information and disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law all liability and damages caused by its loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please be aware that there is always some risk involved when submitting data over the Internet. We recommend that you take any available precautions to protect Personally Identifiable Information you submit on this website.
Public Forums/Social Media
Access Institute may also link to on its website or otherwise make use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas is not protected or controlled by Access Institute and becomes public information. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information and you should not disclose the personal information of anyone other than yourself. Access Institute cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information provided by you in such platforms, and you do so at your own risk.
Social Plugins
This site may use social plugins (e.g., the Facebook “Like” button) to enable you to easily share information with others. When you visit our website, the operator of the social plugin may be able to place a cookie on your computer, enabling that operator to recognize individuals who have previously visited our website. If you are logged into the associated social media website (e.g., Facebook) while browsing on our website, the social plugin allows that social media website to receive information that you have visited our website. The social plugin may also allow the social media website to share information about your activities on our website with other users of their social media website. For more information about the information shared via a particular social media plugin, you should refer to that social media website’s privacy statement.
Third-Party Websites
For your convenience, our sites may contain links to third-party websites. Access Institute does not endorse any third-party website and is not responsible for the privacy practices of or the content included on third-party websites. Third-party websites are not covered by this Policy. You should examine the terms of use and privacy policies of other websites whenever you leave the Access Institute website.
Use of “Cookies” and Related Technology
Our website may use cookies to maintain user session identity for ease of access to personalize sessions for you. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can edit your browser options to block them in the future. If you disable cookies, however, some functionality of our website may not work for you, and our website will not remember your customizations. If you accept cookies, you can delete them later by going to the preferences, tools or options menus of your browser.
Access Institute’s website or social media platforms may use the following types of cookies and tracking technology:
1 “Session” cookies: Session cookies are temporary bits of information that are erased once you exit your web browser window or otherwise turn your computer off. Session cookies are used, for example, to improve navigation on our websites, block visitors from providing information where inappropriate (e.g., the site may remember previous entries of age that are outside the permitted parameters and block subsequent changes) and to collect aggregated statistical information.
2 “Persistent” cookies: Persistent cookies are more permanent bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer and stay there unless you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for a number of purposes, such as retrieving certain information you have previously provided (e.g., Login ID), helping to determine what areas of the web site visitors find most valuable, and customizing the website based on your preferences on an ongoing basis.
3 “Web beacons” (pixel tags): Web beacons are used to identify how a user may navigate through our website. Web beacons are similar to cookies but are smaller and not generally visible to users. Web beacons relay information about a user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address and web browser type.
4 Local Shared Objects (LSO): LSOs, sometimes referred to as “flash cookies,” are a collection of data that a website running Adobe Flash can place on your hard drive to recognize a repeat visitor and store settings and other information.
From time to time, we may contract with third parties to place cookies on your computer. We may use third party advertising companies to place ads on other websites. These companies may use data about your visits to this and other websites in order to measure advertising effectiveness and to provide advertisements about our services that may be of interest to you.
Additionally, some third party companies, such as owners of the website links we may provide for your convenience, may use cookies to track your activities once you leave Access Institute website or social media platforms. Again, Access Institute is not responsible for the policies of any third party websites.
Finally, Access Institute uses certain analytical services, including but not limited to Google Analytics, a service by Google, Inc. (“Google”), to analyze Non-Personally Identifiable Information to learn about how visitors interact with Access Institute website or social media platform (also known as “session tracking”), to help us improve user experience. Google Analytics uses cookies to analyze use patterns and may collect information about your use of the website, including your IP address. You may find more information about Google Analytics and Google’s privacy policy by visiting Google’s web site here: www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.
Email Analytics
To help us better improve the user experience, Access Institute uses email analytics services to track certain information about how you access, engage with, and dispose of Access Institute emails to which you have opted-in (subscribed). Such data may include, but is not limited to, your e-mail and IP addresses, the browser and email client you use, the city in which you are located, and details about how you engage with the email, such as whether you opened, read, forwarded, or printed the email. By opting in to Access Institute emails, you agree to the use of email analytics.
Do Not Track Signals
Certain web browsers and other programs may be used to signal your preferences to Access Institute about how or whether Access Institute or third parties may collect information about your online activities. Currently, Access Institute’s website does not respond to such signals.
Donation Refunds
Your donation is greatly appreciated. Access Institute is a 501c3, your donation is nonrefundable.
Access Institute is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that provides mental health programs for under-served individuals in the community to develop healthier behaviors and relationships as well as clinical internship training to therapists. This website does not provide medical advice and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For an accurate diagnosis of a mental health disorder, you should seek an evaluation from a qualified mental health professional. If you feel you’re experiencing a potentially life-threatening problem, please call 911 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A core value and objective of Access Institute is to preserve the confidentiality of any person who participates in the services provided by Access Institute. As users navigate within our website, no employer, healthcare company, or sponsoring organization can identify any individual who has visited the website. We are committed to protecting your personal privacy. (First sentence refers to clients; second refers to users of website. If this policy is directed towards website users, perhaps change first sentence to: A core value and objective of Access Institute is to preserve the anonymity of any person who visits our website.)
The only information that can be collected and reported is aggregate in nature and pertains to general information regarding the number of visitors to the website and those who have emailed us directly with questions through our contact form or who have asked to be added to our mailing list.
ACCESS INSTITUTE CODE OF CONDUCT AND PRIVACY POLICY 2019
Last updated 1/19/2019
COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY
Primary Responsibility
The primary responsibility for all employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute is to work in service of the organization’s mission as stated in the “Our Mission” section of this website and to treat all members of our community with dignity and promote a healthy discourse in the mental health community.
At no time should a person interacting with Access Institute have an expectation of diagnosis, therapy or any form of treatment. (Again, if we’re addressing website users, perhaps first sentence could read: At no time should a person using the Access Institute website have an expectation of diagnosis, therapy or any form of treatment.) The information and advice published or made available through this website is for informational purposes only, is not a substitute for professional medical advice or services, and does not constitute a physician-patient or a therapist-patient relationship.
You should not use the information from any Access Institute postings, articles or any other materials for diagnosing or treating a mental health condition. You should consult a physician or other health care provider in all matters relating to your health, and particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Any action on your part in response to the information provided in this website is at your discretion. Access Institute makes no representations or warranties with respect to any information offered or provided on or through any Access Institute materials regarding treatment, action, or application of medication.
Non-discrimination
Employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute do not condone or engage in any discrimination based on age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic status.
Employees, volunteers and board members of Access Institute do not condone or engage in sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as any solicitation, physical, or verbal or nonverbal conduct that is sexual in nature that occurs in connection with professional activities or roles, and that is either unwelcome or offensive, or creates a hostile workplace or learning environment, or is sufficiently severe or intense to be perceived as harassment to a reasonable person in the context in which the behavior occurred. Sexual harassment can consist of a single intense or severe act or multiple persistent or pervasive acts
Confidentiality & Privacy
Unless expressly stated no person shall have any expectation of privacy or confidentiality regarding any information shared with Access Institute by way of social media or user-generated content.
Please read this Privacy Policy before using or submitting information on our website or social media platforms. BY ACCESSING AND USING ANY ACCESS INSTITUTE WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS POLICY AND THE TERMS OF USE. Your access of the Access Institute website or social media platforms for the limited and exclusive purpose of reviewing this Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice does not constitute your acceptance unless you make any further access or use of our website.
Updates to Policy
This Policy is subject to change without prior notification. Any changes will be posted on this page, and we will update the “Updated and Effective” date to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use the Access Institute website or social media platforms after the posting of such changes, you accept the Policy as modified. Collection of Information, including Personally Identifiable Information for purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personally Identifiable Information” means information by which you can be individually identified, including, but not limited to, your name, address, email address, and telephone number. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected from offline resources and communications, except in cases where such information is consolidated with Personally Identifiable Information collected by Access Institute for the Access Institute websites or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy does not apply to any third party websites linked to Access Institute website or social media platforms. Access Institute is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of third party sites.
Intended Users
This website and policy are intended exclusively for users in the United States of America, and more specifically, for those in the San Francisco, California area where our services are provided. It is not our intent to gather Personally Identifiable Information from individuals residing outside the U.S. Your access to and use of the Access Institute website or social media platforms constitutes acceptance of this Privacy Policy and consent to Access Institute collection and use of your information as outlined below.
Children
Children Under Age 13 – We do not intend to collect Personally Identifiable Information from children under 13 years of age. If there is reason to believe that a child under 13 has provided us with Personally Identifiable Information, the parent or guardian of that child should Contact Us to request deletion of this data from our files.
Adolescents Ages 13 through 17 – For adolescents 13 through 17 years of age, we require any identified adolescent to provide parental contact information when providing us with Personally Identifiable Information. The parent will receive copies of all electronic and USPS communications and will be provided with the opportunity to remove the adolescent from any such program(s). If for any reason the parent or guardian wishes to remove that adolescent from our communication lists, he or she may Contact Us to request the opt-out or deletion of the adolescent’s data and we will make reasonable efforts to remove all Personally Identifiable Information related to the adolescent.
Technical Information That Is Always Collected
We collect and store certain information with the goal of improving the content and services offered on our web sites during each user visit (“session”) but do not use this information to personally identify you. This Technical Information includes: (i) the domain and host from which you access the Internet; (ii) the Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to the Access Institute website, if applicable; (iii) the date and time you arrived at our website and how long you spent on the web site and which pages you visited; (iv) your Internet Protocol (IP) address; and (v) your computer’s operating system and browser software.
Information That Is Collected Only if You Submit It to Us
We collect your Personally Identifiable Information on our website only if you choose to provide it. We will collect and store the information you enter through interaction with the Access Institute website, which currently only includes: (i) sign up for an event (such as our annual Spectrum event), donation, or other engagement; (ii) send us an email; (iii) submit your name and email in order to join our mailing list; or (iv) otherwise voluntarily submit Personally Identifiable Information to Access Institute. Please note that while you are logged in to an Access Institute website, your actions in that browsing session may be associated with your information.
We may combine the Personally Identifiable Information you share with us through this website with other information you have shared with us, both online and offline. We may also combine this Personally Identifiable Information with records provided by third parties. We use this consolidated information to help us better design Access Institute website and services, to communicate information to you, to enhance our marketing and research activities, and to facilitate other business functions.
Use and Disclosure of Information, Including Personally Identifiable Information
Use and Storage of Information
Technical Information may be used for improving the content and services offered on our web sites. Personally Identifiable Information collected on our web sites may be used by Access Institute personnel, or a third party working on behalf of Access Institute, to: (i) contact you to obtain more information; (ii) improve the web site; (iii) personalize your experience on the web site; (iv) comply with legal requirements; (v) provide you with information or services that you have requested; or (vi) provide you with additional information that Access Institute believes may be of interest to you.
Access Institute or its affiliates, subsidiaries, business partners, and vendors who assist Access Institute in providing services to you (collectively, the “Service Providers), may use such information for the purposes of carrying out the services described in this Policy. Access Institute reserves the right to maintain all information in electronic and/or an offline form, for archival purposes and as otherwise required by law.
Disclosure to Third Parties
Access Institute does not provide Personally Identifiable Information about our web site visitors to third parties except: (i) Service Providers, as defined above; (ii) in connection with security or law enforcement investigations or in the course of cooperating with authorities; (iii) to comply with legal requirements or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims; (iv) when we believe it is necessary to share information in order to assist in an investigation regarding, or to prevent, illegal activities, suspected fraud, or potential threats to the safety of any person.
Any third party with whom we share your Personally Identifiable Information shall be required to treat such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Aggregate Data
We may use or share aggregate data (information about our base of users in general, from which all Personally Identifiable Information has been removed) for any purpose. When you send us an email through the Contact portion of our website or enter your email address and fill out the form to join our mailing list you are granting us access to use this Personally Identifiable Information collected to respond to your inquiries and/or to send you information/newsletters, fulfill email messaging programs, and notify you about new content or services on our website. Your request for information or services is also known as “opting in” to receive communications. By opting in to Access Institute emails, you also agree to the use of email analytics (described below).
Opting Out/Unsubscribing
If you decide you no longer wish to receive promotional email communications from Access Institute, you may opt out at any time by using the contact information below or following the opt-out instructions contained in promotional email communications from Access Institute. You may opt out of other types of promotional communications by contacting us through one of the methods described under “Contacting Access Institute,” below. If you opt out of receiving promotional communications from Access Institute, you may continue to receive non-promotional communications, such as information about news or changes to donation programs in which you are enrolled. If you have opted out of promotional Access Institute communications and subsequently request information from Access Institute, Access Institute will contact you to answer your request.
Updating Personally Identifiable Information
Access Institute is committed to maintaining accurate Personally Identifiable Information. You may always contact us to update or request the correction of your Personally Identifiable Information. Access Institute will make reasonable efforts to comply with your correction/update request.
Contacting Access Institute
If you have any questions or concerns about the way your Personally Identifiable Information is used and handled, or would like to update or remove your Personally Identifiable Information, please email us [email protected], call 1-415-861-5449, or write to:
Access Institute
110 Gough Street
Suite 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
Attn: Privacy Policy
Access Institute takes reasonable precautions to keep all information obtained from web site visitors secure against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, including encrypting Personally Identifiable Information during the transmission of such information. Nevertheless, Access Institute makes no guarantee as to the security of your Personally Identifiable Information and disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law all liability and damages caused by its loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please be aware that there is always some risk involved when submitting data over the Internet. We recommend that you take any available precautions to protect Personally Identifiable Information you submit on this website.
Public Forums/Social Media
Access Institute may also link to on its website or otherwise make use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas is not protected or controlled by Access Institute and becomes public information. You should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information and you should not disclose the personal information of anyone other than yourself. Access Institute cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information provided by you in such platforms, and you do so at your own risk.
Social Plugins
This site may use social plugins (e.g., the Facebook “Like” button) to enable you to easily share information with others. When you visit our website, the operator of the social plugin may be able to place a cookie on your computer, enabling that operator to recognize individuals who have previously visited our website. If you are logged into the associated social media website (e.g., Facebook) while browsing on our website, the social plugin allows that social media website to receive information that you have visited our website. The social plugin may also allow the social media website to share information about your activities on our website with other users of their social media website. For more information about the information shared via a particular social media plugin, you should refer to that social media website’s privacy statement.
Third-Party Websites
For your convenience, our sites may contain links to third-party websites. Access Institute does not endorse any third-party website and is not responsible for the privacy practices of or the content included on third-party websites. Third-party websites are not covered by this Policy. You should examine the terms of use and privacy policies of other websites whenever you leave the Access Institute website.
Use of “Cookies” and Related Technology
Our website may use cookies to maintain user session identity for ease of access to personalize sessions for you. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can edit your browser options to block them in the future. If you disable cookies, however, some functionality of our website may not work for you, and our website will not remember your customizations. If you accept cookies, you can delete them later by going to the preferences, tools or options menus of your browser.
Access Institute’s website or social media platforms may use the following types of cookies and tracking technology:
1 “Session” cookies: Session cookies are temporary bits of information that are erased once you exit your web browser window or otherwise turn your computer off. Session cookies are used, for example, to improve navigation on our websites, block visitors from providing information where inappropriate (e.g., the site may remember previous entries of age that are outside the permitted parameters and block subsequent changes) and to collect aggregated statistical information.
2 “Persistent” cookies: Persistent cookies are more permanent bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer and stay there unless you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for a number of purposes, such as retrieving certain information you have previously provided (e.g., Login ID), helping to determine what areas of the web site visitors find most valuable, and customizing the website based on your preferences on an ongoing basis.
3 “Web beacons” (pixel tags): Web beacons are used to identify how a user may navigate through our website. Web beacons are similar to cookies but are smaller and not generally visible to users. Web beacons relay information about a user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address and web browser type.
4 Local Shared Objects (LSO): LSOs, sometimes referred to as “flash cookies,” are a collection of data that a website running Adobe Flash can place on your hard drive to recognize a repeat visitor and store settings and other information.
From time to time, we may contract with third parties to place cookies on your computer. We may use third party advertising companies to place ads on other websites. These companies may use data about your visits to this and other websites in order to measure advertising effectiveness and to provide advertisements about our services that may be of interest to you.
Additionally, some third party companies, such as owners of the website links we may provide for your convenience, may use cookies to track your activities once you leave Access Institute website or social media platforms. Again, Access Institute is not responsible for the policies of any third party websites.
Finally, Access Institute uses certain analytical services, including but not limited to Google Analytics, a service by Google, Inc. (“Google”), to analyze Non-Personally Identifiable Information to learn about how visitors interact with Access Institute website or social media platform (also known as “session tracking”), to help us improve user experience. Google Analytics uses cookies to analyze use patterns and may collect information about your use of the website, including your IP address. You may find more information about Google Analytics and Google’s privacy policy by visiting Google’s web site here: www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.
Email Analytics
To help us better improve the user experience, Access Institute uses email analytics services to track certain information about how you access, engage with, and dispose of Access Institute emails to which you have opted-in (subscribed). Such data may include, but is not limited to, your e-mail and IP addresses, the browser and email client you use, the city in which you are located, and details about how you engage with the email, such as whether you opened, read, forwarded, or printed the email. By opting in to Access Institute emails, you agree to the use of email analytics.
Do Not Track Signals
Certain web browsers and other programs may be used to signal your preferences to Access Institute about how or whether Access Institute or third parties may collect information about your online activities. Currently, Access Institute’s website does not respond to such signals.
Donation Refunds
Your donation is greatly appreciated. Access Institute is a 501c3, your donation is nonrefundable.