Procuring Accessible Technology and Measuring Progress

The procurement of accessible technology requires an understanding of accessibility requirements, the incorporation of accessibility needs into solicitations, validation of accessibility claims, and a method to measure ongoing accessibility issues. Organizations should also incorporate assurances and enforcement mechanisms into contracts to ensure accessibility claims are valid and consider maintenance provisions that ensure vendors will continue to monitor and manage accessibility needs. 

First steps

Procuring accessible technology might seem like an arduous process, but it’s an invaluable step in ensuring accessibility and reaching the largest possible market. The ability to self-assess and properly document is crucial to establishing efficient and robust procurement practices in the accessibility field. Here are a few simple, but crucial tips for procuring accessible technology.

Understand what is required of your organization

First, it’s essential to become familiar with the standards, laws, and regulations that are appropriate for the technology being procured. For example, those working in the federal government should defer to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act best practices and standards, which are readily available on their website.

State and local governments should defer to state-specific legislation and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which in general requires that State and local governments ensure their online technology is accessible to persons with disabilities. The Department of Justice has provided technical assistance materials for State and local government that can help procurement professionals identify what is required and should be considered. Private entities should review their obligations under the ADA, but a strong recommendation would be to use the same standards as the federal government, which is currently WCAG 2.0/2.1 Level AA. 

Incorporating requirements into procurement packages

As accessibility becomes more prevalent and expected throughout the industry, it is becoming common that technology companies have defined accessibility initiatives within their organization. Still, claims of conformance by vendors should be tested against a standard. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, accessibility claims often are the result of a surface-level understanding of accessibility, and if they are not verified, can leave you exposed to liability or even worse, with a product that is not accessible to your consumers. 

Before publishing a request for solicitation, it’s recommended to incorporate a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT. A VPAT is a comprehensive document outlining all accessibility standards for information and communication technology to ensure that they meet accessibility requirements. This includes accessibility must-haves like audio description and closed captioning for recorded media, text readability, and accessible navigation. A recently updated VPAT template can be downloaded from the Information Technology Industry Council’s webpage. Companies should have their policies on accessibility and VPAT templates easily accessible on their websites.

Incorporating a VPAT in solicitations for information technology ensures vendors are required to cite their work, be transparent about conformance claims, and self-identify accessibility issues that exist. While every organization's needs and accessibility requirements are different, establishing a VPAT and process to assess vendor claims will ensure your organization has a method to measure the accessibility and usability of the product. 

Using a VPAT also paves the way to measure accessibility within your organization in a holistic way. While including a VPAT will provide a way to validate and measure the accessibility of the product, incorporating a maturity program in the process further improves the organization's accessibility overall. 

Measuring accessibility maturity

It is recommended to measure accessibility maturity as a whole with a defined set of criteria that is objective and can be tested against an established process.

There are various maturity models available online, however, it is recommended to use a maturity model specific to IT, such as the IT Accessibility Maturity Model, which measures your company’s maturity at five levels: initial, defined, repeatable, managed, and optimizing. The IT Accessibility Maturity Model outlines how your organization can foster a culture of accessibility overall and is an incredibly powerful toolset to champion accessibility in your organization, but also includes a section specifically for procurement. 

• Minimal inclusion in the procurement process (initial - 1)
• Process documented and used ad hoc (defined - 2)
• Regular use and non-compliance management (repeatable - 3)
• Proactive and supportive (managed - 4)
• Supplier partnerships (optimized - 5)

While it is unlikely an organization will reach "optimized - 5" on its first attempt at incorporating the maturity model as a method to measure success, reaching "repeatable - 3" would be a great start and would ensure the process is repeated each time new technology is procured.

Finally, it’s crucial to regularly test your technology and ensure it meets all accessibility specifications. Continuously testing technology against accessibility standards ensures content is consumable by users of assistive technology and provides the organization a roadmap to avoiding the risk associated with having non-compliant content. Organizations should also implement a long-term maintenance plan, including accessible upgrades and frequent quality assurance. Incurring regular and consistent feedback from users of assistive technology will also provide benefits in the long run, such as the ability to address accessibility issues quickly and efficiently.