Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products that pose a risk to the University will undergo an accessibility compliance evaluation by the Universal Design Center (UDC). The goal of the accessibility compliance evaluation is to identify key gaps in a product based on Federal and State laws and standards regarding accessibility.
When UDC completes their evaluation, they will submit a report to the department requesting the ICT. The departments should forward this report to vendors and request an accessibility roadmap to initiate the remediation of the product.
Accessibility Review Process
Step 1: Accessibility Risk Analysis
When departments submit the ATI-ICT procurement form, their request will be vetted to determine the campus impact in terms of accessibility risk. Products with high or moderate exposure will classify as medium or high risk and will undergo an accessibility review.Though most requests are processed sooner, please allow up to fifteen (15) business days for the accessibility risk analysis.
Step 2: Accessibility Review
- The UDC will conduct one (or more) of the following reviews:
- Basic Accessibility Assessment: A preliminary assessment of a company's accessibility practices as defined in the Vendor Accessibility Assessment Form and other documentation.
- ACR Review: Comprehensive review of the accessibility conformance of a product as described in the product's Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR or VPAT).
- Accessibility Demo: UDC may coordinate an accessibility demonstration to allow the company to showcase the accessibility of their product.
- Targeted Accessibility Test: Review of the product against select accessibility criteria.
- Comprehensive Accessibility Test: Product will undergo a full test against all accessibility standards defined by Section 508, WCAG 2.0, and CSUATI Criteria.
- If a targeted or comprehensive accessibility test is required, the UDC will need a test instance or a demo page to conduct the test. This is to ensure the testing does not interfere with the normal activities of the product.
Step 3: Product Accessibility Summary Report
- Departments will receive an accessibility report by the UDC. The report will typically include:
- A list of accessibility barriers in the product
- A summary explaining the impact these barriers will have on users with disabilities.
- Methods to fix the barriers
- Requirement for department and /or company
- Departments may share the report with the company.
Step 4: Final Requirements for Departments and Vendors
Departments:
- Once departments receive the UDC report, they may be required to create a Plan for Alternate Access. This plan addresses how departments will address accessibility barriers identified within the UDC report.
- Departments with high-impact public-facing products or products that pose a significant risk for students will be scheduled to meet with the Alternative Access Working Group. The Alternative Access Working Group is a subcommittee of the Technology Procurement Accessibility Committee that works with departments to strategize alternate access methods for the products they are procuring.
Companies:
- Companies will be required to complete an accessibility roadmap. An accessibility roadmap defines a company's timeline for fixing accessibility gaps in their product and describes workarounds for gaps that are not fixable.
- When an ACR review is conducted, companies must correct any issues identified with the ACR. A vendor must fix their ACR before any future purchase or renewals of their product can be completed.
