The DEAC Accreditation Handbook The DEAC Accreditation Handbook is a detailed compilation of the Accrediting Commission's standards, policies and procedures. The responsibility for assuring the quality of an institution rests first with the institution itself. The accreditation process assesses the capacity of an institution to meet all accreditation requirements. DEAC expects institutions to produce evidence of compliance with all requirements set forth in the Handbook. The Accrediting Commission requires its accredited institutions to offer distance education programs that focus on student learning and carefully attend to every aspect of the students' experience at an institution. The Accreditation Handbook establishes precise expectations for academic quality, educational services, continuous improvement and ethical business practices for accredited distance education institutions.