Scheduled at 9:45 in Mattie Silks on Friday, November 20.
#43244Speaker(s)
- Aaron Page, VP, Accessibility, Allyant
- Amy Walldorf, Partnership Manager, Allyant
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Procurement decisions in higher ed directly determine whether campus technology — from the LMS to library databases to student services platforms — is accessible and Title II compliant. This session presents a practical six-step framework for procuring accessible technology, drawing on real case studies. Attendees will learn to review VPATs/ACRs, prioritize manual usability testing, assess risk based on student impact, and secure contractual commitments from vendors.
Abstract
Procurement decisions in higher education directly determine whether campus technology is accessible to students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. With ADA Title II requiring WCAG 2.1 AA conformance for digital systems at public colleges and universities, and the HHS Section 504 Final Rule extending similar obligations across federally funded institutions, the cost of inaccessible technology has moved from inconvenience to institutional liability.
Yet procurement remains one of the most fragmented processes on most campuses. VPATs and ACRs are reviewed unevenly, when they're reviewed at all. Vendor claims are often accepted at face value. Disability services, IT, and the procurement office may operate in silos, with no shared standard for what "accessible" means in practice. The result is technology purchased with the best of intentions that students cannot actually use — and OCR complaints that could have been prevented at the contract stage.
This session presents a practical, repeatable six-step framework for embedding accessibility into higher education procurement. Drawing on real-world case studies, we will walk through how to critically review VPATs and ACRs and recognize common red flags; prioritize manual usability testing by people with disabilities, the only reliable measure of true accessibility; assess risk based on student and institutional impact rather than vendor reputation; secure contractual commitments that hold vendors accountable; build standardized procurement policies that ensure consistency across departments; and sustain accessibility through measurable post-purchase accountability.
By adopting these practices, institutions can reduce legal exposure, avoid costly post-signature remediation, and ensure that the technology powering teaching, learning, and student services works for everyone. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can bring back to their own campuses.
Keypoints
- Procurement is accessibility's first and most cost-effective line of defense — and the one most campuses miss
- A VPAT is documentation, not proof — manual testing by people with disabilities is the only true measure.
- A repeatable six-step framework gives institutions a defensible, sustainable path to procurement compliance.
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Administrative/Campus Policy, Campus & System-wide initiatives, Legal, Procurement
Speaker Bio(s)
Aaron Page
Aaron Page is Vice President of Accessibility at Allyant, where he leads Live Our Values, Allyant's internal accessibility program, and serves as product manager for ProcureEnsure, the company's procurement accessibility solution. He also founded and oversees Allyant's Accessibility Claims Team (ACT), which partners with legal teams on digital accessibility litigation matters.
Aaron's career in accessibility began at the University of Montana, where he started as an Accessibility Specialist in 2011 — work that grew directly out of an OCR complaint filed against the university that same year. He went on to earn his B.S. in Management Information Systems from UM in 2016, then spent four years as Senior Accessibility Engineer and Team Lead at Accessible360. When Accessible360 merged with T-Base Communications and CommonLook to form Allyant in 2022, Aaron stepped into the role of Director of Accessibility, and was promoted to Vice President in July 2024.
A blind JAWS and VoiceOver user, Aaron brings more than a decade of hands-on procurement and product testing experience to his work, and is a firm advocate for manual testing by people with disabilities as the only reliable measure of true accessibility — a conviction that shapes how he approaches every VPAT review and vendor evaluation. He lives in Missoula, Montana, with his guide dog, Jeb.
Amy Walldorf
Amy Walldorf is a Partnerships Manager at Allyant, a leading digital accessibility firm, where she works with state agencies, municipal governments, and higher education institutions to achieve compliance with ADA Title II document accessibility requirements. With a background spanning SaaS, go-to-market strategy, and strategic partnerships, Amy brings a sharp focus on translating complex accessibility obligations into actionable, scalable solutions for organizations navigating the evolving digital accessibility landscape. Amy's passion for accessible education runs deep — she holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Studio Art from Wake Forest University, where she also served as an Academic Tutor, helping fellow students succeed. That commitment to inclusive learning has carried through her career, where she now advocates for accessible digital experiences that ensure students, faculty, and community members can engage with educational content without barriers. A sought-after speaker on digital accessibility, Amy has presented at major industry conferences including CSUN 2026, where she unveiled Allyant's accessibility index — a first-of-its-kind data-driven analysis of accessibility gaps across industries. At Accessing Higher Ground, she brings both the practitioner's perspective and the partnership mindset needed to help higher education institutions move from awareness to meaningful, lasting compliance.