Here’s what you can do to help make sure a potential product is accessible.
Start Early
When you are looking to procure new technology, include accessibility early in the process. This will help ensure that TAR requests are not delayed or denied later on.
When you meet with vendors, ask if their product fully conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA, and ask if they can provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) to support this.
It is a bad sign if the vendor is unfamiliar with WCAG or cannot provide an ACR. Watch out for vendors who say that their products are “aligned with WCAG” or “support WCAG” — those are often euphemisms for “somewhat accessible but not up to standards.” Ideally, vendors should assert their product substantially or fully conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA and provide an ACR detailing this.
If you are creating a Request for Proposals (RFP), specify that the solution must fully conform with WCAG 2.1 AA and that vendors must provide an ACR documenting this.
Review the Vendor’s ACR
When you are comparing potential products, review the ACRs that vendors have provided. If your office performs an initial review of the ACR, this can help avoid complications later on.
The first page of an ACR should specify what version of the product it applies to and when it was created. If it is more than two years old, it likely cannot offer a good description of the product’s current accessibility status, in which case you should ask the vendor if they can provide a current ACR.
In the ACR, review “Table 1: Success Criteria, Level A” and “Table 2: Success Criteria, Level AA.” In the “Conformance Level” column, every criteria should be rated as “Supports.” It is a bad sign if anything is rated as “Does Not Support.” If there are multiple criteria rated as “Partially Supports,” ask if the vendor is able to provide you with an accessibility roadmap. If they can provide you with a roadmap detailing accessibility barriers and projected dates for remediation, that is a good sign.
Spot Check the Product
ACRs should accurately document the product’s accessibility status. However, it is not uncommon for there to be mistakes and for ACRs to omit some conformance gaps. This typically happens because vendors lack a mature accessibility program and may not have identified all of the accessibility barriers in their product.
For software that will be particularly essential or widely used, we should validate that the ACR is accurate and that the product does indeed meet our accessibility standards. While it is the vendor’s duty to comprehensively test their product, we can validate their claims through abbreviated spot check evaluations.
Here is a quick and important spot test that doesn’t require specialized accessibility knowledge to perform. For products that are websites or web apps, can you perform all essential tasks using your keyboard alone (without using your mouse or touchscreen)? You should be able to clearly navigate through webpages using the Tab key (and occasionally the arrow keys) and successfully activate controls using the Enter or Return key (or occasionally the spacebar).
If the product isn’t keyboard operable, it likely has significant accessibility barriers. In some cases for more complicated apps, you may be required to use specialized keyboard shortcuts for certain functions, so if the product isn’t keyboard accessible when you first test it, it may be worthwhile to review the product documentation or check with the vendor.
If the vendor has provided you with test access to their product, we recommend performing this spot check for keyboard accessibility while you try to complete a common or important task. If the product isn’t keyboard accessible, you should likely look for an alternative.
Include Accessibility Contract Terms
If you are negotiating contract terms with a potential vendor, we recommend you include dedicated terms for accessibility, especially for expensive or widely used products. These terms can clarify that the vendor is responsible for delivering an accessible product and promptly fixing any potential issues.
We have accessibility contract terms included within our Purchasing Terms and Conditions (PDF, 197 KB) (see section 19) that you can use as a starting point when negotiating with vendors.
Reach Out for Support
If this all seems a bit complicated or if you want help evaluating potential products, you are welcome to reach out for support earlier in the procurement process (before you submit a TAR request).
For support with accessibility in the procurement process, please schedule an appointment for or reach out to Cam Coulter (Deputy ADA/504 Coordinator, Digital Accessibility).