Acquiring Accessible IT Products for your Campus

Handouts Media

Presented at 9:00am in Cotton Creek I on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.

Speaker(s)

• Cheryl Pruitt, Director, Accessible Technology Initiative, California University Chancellor's Office
• Leon McNaught, Accessible Technology Project Manager, California State University
• Tom Siechert, ATI Procurement Program Manager, Fresno State
• Morgane Williams, Regional Director, Higher Education, Vector Solutions
• Brooke Achtermann, Product Manager, Vector Solutions
• Andrew Lefler, Front End Developer UX, Vector Solutions

Session Details

• Length of Session: 3-hr
• Format: Bring-your-own Device Workshop: laptop or tablet
• Expertise Level: Intermediate
• Type of session: Pre-conference

Summary

Acquiring accessible IT products is one of the biggest challenges facing an institution when implementing an accessible technology program. To meet this challenge the CSU has developed a process that integrates accessibility requirements into campus business processes and puts the responsibility on vendors for the accessibility of their product.

Abstract

Campuses are required to acquire accessible products yet vendors are not required to sell accessible products. Requiring accurate accessibility documentation, commitments from the vendor for accessibility improvements to the product, and help information for users is crucial to drive improvements to the product. Accurate documentation gives campuses the opportunity to create Equally Effective Alternative Access Plans so students that encounter barriers can be quickly served with workarounds or accommodations. Hands-on activities will provide attendees with experience in applying the CSU Accessible Procurement Process. Activities will include: Training on critical review procedures for the Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) and Accessibility Roadmap; Components of an Accessibility Statement: and a guided review of documentation, vendor consultation, and demonstration by McGraw-Hill where purchaser will demonstrate how a reviewer can verify the claims made on the ACR.

Keypoints

1. Understand a critical review process for accessible IT product review engaging the vendor
2. Learn how to select from the various levels of accessibility evaluation,from document review to full testing
3. Acquire strategies for engaging vendors in the accessibility conversation and product demonstrations

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Administrative/Campus Policy, Legal, Procurement, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Cheryl Pruitt

Cheryl is the Director of the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) for the California State University (CSU) System. She oversees the ATI implementation across the CSU 23 campus system. Cheryl has been involved with the ATI since the beginning in 2007, first at the campus level, then at the systemwide level. Under her leadership the system has made significant progress towards implementing ATI process improvement in the areas of web accessibility, accessible procurement, and accessible instructional materials. She is currently managing several projects that are moving the initiative forward they include implementation of an ATI reporting process to measure the systemwide progress towards the ATI goals; creation of synergy projects resulting in systemwide shared services that are delivering cost savings; and a high level of cross-campus collaboration through the ATI Communities of Practice.

Leon McNaught

Leon McNaught began working in the assistive technology field at Glendale Community College’s Hi-Tech Center in the mid-1990’s. He earned his B.S in Psychology and B.A in Human Development, and M.S in Educational Counseling at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). During his tenure at CSUSB, Leon acquired professional certifications as an assistive technology practitioner and accessibility professional and ran an assistive technology service center for the campus and community members affiliated with the California Department of Rehabilitation and Veteran’s Affairs. His passionate 25 years in assistive technology and formal education in the helping professions led him to become CSUSB’s inaugural campus Accessibility Services coordinator. In this position, Leon evolved CSUSB’s maturity to comply with the system-wide Accessible Technology Initiative, which includes web, instructional materials, and procurement. Additionally, Leon is a member of the CSU Office of the Chancellor’s Accessible Technology Network, whose work positively affects system-wide accessibility procedures. As of November 1st, 2019, Leon accepted the position of Accessible Technology Project Manager at Cal State LA. In his spare time, Leon continues his work in the field of assistive technology, as a consultant to the California Department of Rehabilitation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Tom Siechert

(Coming soon)

Morgane Williams

Morgane Williams is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a BA in Marketing and has been with Vector Solutions for four years. Morgane serves as the Regional Director for Higher Education and focuses on strategic accounts and partnerships, higher education strategy, and management of the higher education team. Through her time at Vector Solutions, Morgane has gained an extensive amount of experience and knowledge surrounding eLearning solutions within the higher education space and how to best utilize them on campus. Morgane values the insight she has received from her customers and is always looking to help colleges and universities deliver effective change on campus through our intuitive solutions. Morgane serves as the liaison between California State University System and Vector Solutions. Through her support of CSUS, Morgane continues to gain greater insight of the importance of providing all campus community members with the same experience regardless of their abilities. This valued insight has provided Morgane with better means to serve institutions for higher education to create change on campus.

Brooke Achtermann

Brooke Achtermann is a graduate of Morehead State University with a BA in Communications and brings over 12 years’ experience to the Education Technology market to Vector Solutions. Serving as Product Manager for the Education Business Unit, her focus is ongoing development and enhancing the Education product suite for customers. Brooke is a certified ScrumMaster and has strong knowledge of client implementation, product management, agile product delivery, and internal and external on-boarding and training. Brooke has great knowledge with the Common Application, Admission CRM system, and the Naviance Student platform and was instrumental in the evolvement of Hobsons Intersect - a platform that connects Naviance students to their best fit and match as they pursue a college degree.

Andrew Lefler

Andrew Lefler has worked in the software space for over 10 years, ranging from design/product positions to developer roles to project manager. He has worked with companies of varied sizes, from large companies like Rotary International to smaller startups trying to get their idea off the ground. Currently serving as Lead Front-end Developer at Vector Solutions Education, his focus is dedicated to establishing design systems/patterns for UX and front-end development. As of late, his drive has been making software accessible in order to properly serve as many customers as possible – developing solutions for accessibility programming and systems for its repeatability.

Handout(s)

• AHG ACR Hands on Activity (docx)