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Beyond VPAT, importance of Accessibility culture aspect in vendor selection

Presented at 8:00am in Governors Square 11 on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.

#34153

Speaker(s)

  • Cheryl Pruitt, Director, Accessible Technology Initiative,, California University Chancellor's Office
  • Sue Cullen, Directorof Universal Design & IT Accessibility, Tech for All
  • Christine Fundell, Accessible Technology Coordinator, California State University, San Bernardino

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format: Lecture
  • Expertise Level: Beginner
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

When information about accessibility is requested, often vendors submit their VPAT; but is that enough? An inclusive culture helps ensure a company considers accessibility of their products proactively. How do you know if a company has an inclusive culture in place? This presentation covers how you can find out and make an informed decision.

Abstract

Accessibility of web-based software products has always been important in education and is even more important now due to the increased number of online activities. One of the common documents to understand product accessibility is Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), also known as VPAT. However, it is only part of the picture. A company with strong inclusive culture and commitment to accessibility means that their teams are empowered to create accessible product experiences as part of everyday activities. In this presentation, we specifically discuss characteristics you can look for that indicate the company has a culture of accessibility in place and share some of the best practices we follow while creating ACRs and other documentation to highlight the inclusive culture. We will also provide some time to share and exchange ideas around other relevant questions that one should ask vendors to achieve the objective of procuring accessible products.

Keypoints

  1. It's important that vendors have culture of accessibility and inclusion in the organization
  2. Accessibility should not be an after thought or treat just as a checklist item
  3. Identify vendor who have passion to build accessible products.

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Accessible Educational Materials, Administrative/Campus Policy, Legal, Procurement, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Cheryl Pruitt

Sue Cullen

Christine Fundell