IT Accessibility on Campus: from procurement to implementation Hadi Rangin, Dan Comden Accessible Technology Services UW IT

Preview Background & History Road to accessibility Incorporating accessibility in the contract

Accessibility on the rise? More products entering campus than we can handle Increase vendors’ understanding about accessibility by local developers and vendors Most vendors working diligently to conform to legal standards (but they don't know what to do) Higher-ed lacks resources and expertise to test & verify accessibility claims/VPAT

Misconception of accessibility Lack of basic understanding of accessibility Accessibility is too abstract and not taught Many still see accessibility as final touch-up process

Product Types Legacy product with no plan for continuation or upgrades Product with active contract and maintenance Product being considered for RFP Open-source or free products

Working with Local Developers Get involved in the design stage and choice of technology Help them utilize Universal Design Principles in their design and implementation Provide training in accessible coding practice Create new accessibility liaison

The RFP process (1) Get involved in RFP process as early as possible Work with service owner/manager Need to have sandbox/demo to test Understand new applications & relevant Business Processes

The RFP Process (2) Perform quick accessibility evaluations of potential products Ask accessibility questions for RFP bidders Entertaining VPAT & accessibility claims Most purchasers/vendors have no clear idea/plan for accessibility

Road to Accessibility (1) Desired product is often not accessible Should accessibility be a deal breaker? Define functional tasks/business processes Perform comprehensive accessibility/usability evaluation of product

Road to Accessibility (2) Compile prioritized accessibility issue list Show-stoppers/deployment blockers must be addressed before deployment Propose a timeline plan for fixes/enhancements to owner Negotiate the roadmap & incorporate it in the contract

Working with existing contracts No immediate financial incentive Work with service owner/manager Understand the applications & relevant business Processes Perform quick accessibility evaluations of products Encourage & engage vendor in an accessibility collaboration

Fun Vendor Tricks No one has asked for this before Our product is accessible We will build in accessibility with our new framework The market needs us to build features first We must use cutting edge technologies

The Contract Is Our Friend VPATs are often useless RFPs and purchasing boilerplate are often lacking CEOs and/or engineers don’t get it or don’t care They want our money

Negotiation Tactics It’s personal, and it’s a friendly rapport You want to help them improve the product You are an early adopter You and your partners are concerned You want to help them make their quarterly target You want your institution to be an exemplar use case

Get It in Writing Accessibility and usability Start with WCAG 2 Point out the specific problems, starting with show- stoppers Roadmap it with specific commitments and timelines Propose an ongoing relationship with regard to accessibility Have an escape clause Be reasonable and flexible

Some Specific Cases (1) An LMS vendor who became a true partner without contract specifics A lecture capture vendor who requires cajoling without existing contract specifics A TMS vendor who agreed in detail to hit showstoppers quickly

Some Specific Cases (2) An audience response system vendor who needed a longer timeline A web conferencing vendor who hit the list before the contract was signed

What to Do When the Product Is Free Containment for a big productivity suite vendor who will agree to nothing Embarrassment, silence, and then partnership from a big productivity suite vendor

Building Collaboration (1) Accessibility is the responsibility of respective departments UW accessibility team is here to help Department assigns an accessibility liaison Accessibility liaison leads the collaboration project

Building Collaboration (2) No accessibility testing/evaluation without involvement of the respective department We don't own accessibility. We help other people own it.

Conclusion Get involved in new local application design as quickly as early as possible Get involved in RFP as early as possible Help the respective departments understand that accessibility is their responsibility Build accessibility alliances and liaisons in the chain of command Collaborate proactively with vendors and respective departments

Q & A Hadi Rangin (hadir@uw.edu) Dan Comden (danc@uw.edu)