Procuring accessible technology is a shared responsibility. Here’s what you need to know to procure accessible products and help the procurement process run smoothly.
Digital Accessibility Policy
The university’s Digital Accessibility Policy identifies the Level AA as our digital accessibility standard. When we procure software, we have a shared responsibility to ensure it conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA.
WCAG 2.1 AA specifies a baseline level of accessibility for people with disabilities and people who use assistive technologies such as voice access software or screen readers. When products conform to WCAG 2.1 AA, we can be reasonably confident that they will work reliably for most people most of the time.
Technology Acquisition Review (TAR)
Through the Technology Acquisition Review (TAR) process, the university assesses software for key requirements including accessibility. When you submit a TAR request, members of the Inclusive Excellence Division will review the product to ensure it meets the university’s accessibility standards.
When reviewing TAR requests for accessibility, we will first assess the overall risk level. When we assess risk, we will primarily consider the total number of users but may also consider other factors including the cost, contract length, and how essential the product will be for its users.
For high risk items, we may take additional steps to validate that the vendor's accessibility claims are accurate. For example, we may conduct a spot check evaluation of the product or request to meet with the vendor for an accessibility demo.
To ensure your TAR requests move along smoothly, we encourage you to:
- Initially verify that the product conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA, and
- Ensure all key documents are attached to the TAR request.
Key Terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| (WCAG) |
A technical standard for evaluating digital accessibility. Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). |
| (VPAT) |
A standardized template that vendors can use to report on how well their products conform to digital accessibility standards including WCAG. Developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). |
| Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) |
A report provided by a vendor documenting how well their product conforms to digital accessibility standards including WCAG. A completed VPAT may be referred to as an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Vendors should be able to provide ACRs for their products upon request. Some vendors may proactively make ACRs available online, whereas when dealing with other vendors, you may need to specifically request they provide you with an ACR. |
| Authoring Tool |
Authoring tools are software and services used to create standalone documents, emails, or websites. Examples of authoring tools include: Adobe InDesign, Canva, WordPress, and Mailchimp. Like all software, authoring tools should be accessible for their end users. Additionally, our authoring tools should enable us to reliably create content that conforms with WCAG 2.1 AA. For this reason, authoring tools may be subject to closer accessibility review if they will be used to create documents or emails that will be widely shared. |