Welcome to our October 2022 issue of the Accessibility Minute Newsletter! This newsletter is produced by the CU Boulder Digital Accessibility Office and covers one accessibility skill or topic per month. As always, thank you for taking a minute (or two!) to read.

Talking to Vendors about Accessibility

Consider a situation where you are looking at implementing a new tech tool in a course you teach or within your department. You know it needs to be accessible, but you may not know much about what that means when it comes to software or how to measure software accessibility. How can you improve your chances of acquiring accessible software without needing to become an accessibility expert in your own right? 

In this month’s newsletter, we will discuss some non-technical questions you can ask vendors to help you choose a tool that is accessible for all users. This is the first in a two-part series about choosing accessible software; next month we will address other actions you can take to increase the likelihood of selecting an accessible product.

Understanding Software Accessibility

When we talk about accessible software, we are referring to software that is designed to be usable by people with disabilities and people who access software using assistive technology.

However, the process of determining whether software is accessible is not straightforward. There are many ways of assessing accessibility, some of which provide more accurate information than others; at CU Boulder, we rely on skilled manual testing of software as our most reliable method for determining accessibility.

The average person at CU Boulder doesn’t need to be an expert in conducting or interpreting manual accessibility testing, and you can work with our office to get software tested by our staff. However, there are also some basic questions you can ask vendors to assess their overall level of commitment to and knowledge of software accessibility prior to scheduling a manual test. While you typically won’t get very accurate information about how accessible the software is directly from this process, you can glean a lot of important information about how much priority a vendor places on making their software accessible and how easy they are to work with on accessibility. Both of these qualities are important predictors of the accessibility of the software itself and may even help you rule out some vendors right off the bat if they seem to have no awareness of or commitment to accessibility.

Questions to Ask a Software Vendor

Before even reaching out to a vendor, we recommend trying to find information about accessibility on the vendor’s website. If none is present, that may be a sign this is not an area of priority for them.

Once you’ve done that, you can reach out to the vendor and ask the following questions about accessibility. The point of asking these questions is not only to look for specific answers, but also to gauge the vendor’s general level of awareness of accessibility and willingness to work with you on it.

Ask about accessibility testing

  • Has the software been assessed for accessibility?
  • How was the product tested  – using manual testing, automated testing, or both?

If the vendor has never assessed their software for accessibility, this is a significant red flag.

Automated testing is better than no testing at all, but it can only offer a limited view of the accessibility of a product. Automated testing can result in false positives or false negatives, and some aspects of accessibility must always be evaluated by a human. Vendors who only use automated testing may understand they have some obligation to create accessible software without a full understanding of how to do so.

The use of manual testing is an indication that the vendor has some familiarity with best practices for evaluating software accessibility and may be a good sign of the vendor’s knowledge of and commitment to creating accessible software. However, even manual accessibility testing may not be highly accurate if it was conducted by someone with little experience using assistive technology or a lack of understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities, so it doesn’t necessarily mean there are no accessibility issues in the product. 

Ask about the current accessibility of the product

  • Do they know which areas of the software have accessibility issues?
  • Do they have a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) indicating known accessibility issues in detail?
  • What are their plans for improving the accessibility of the software? Do they have an accessibility roadmap?

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is a document created by a vendor to indicate the degree to which their software meets accessibility standards.

However, the existence of a VPAT is not a guarantee that a product is accessible, even if the VPAT contends that it is. VPATs are often completed by marketing teams rather than development teams or accessibility specialists, and the accuracy of a VPAT can vary widely depending on the knowledge of the person who created it. VPATs are also typically created by or funded by the vendor, and VPATs do not have to undergo any review for accuracy by an impartial third party. Furthermore, VPATs are intended to indicate compliance with standards and do not necessarily reflect actual usability for people using assistive technology and people with disabilities.

Why then do we recommend you ask for a VPAT? If a vendor has no idea what a VPAT is, or their VPAT has very little information, it is likely that they have very little awareness or experience with accessibility, and the product is likely to be inaccessible. If the VPAT contains very little information about the nature of known accessibility issues, this should also raise concern.

Alongside a VPAT, another key item to request from the vendor is an accessibility roadmap. An accessibility roadmap is a document where a vendor can set goals and priorities around accessibility and provide a framework for sustained improvement of the software.

If the vendor has a roadmap, that is a good sign that they are at least working on accessibility internally. If you select this vendor’s product, it’s advisable to check in on their roadmap over time to see if they’ve made any progress. If not, you may consider evaluating alternatives the next time you need to renew the contract.

Ask about reporting accessibility issues

  • Are they willing to work with you or your institution to address accessibility issues if and when they are found?
  • Do they have anyone dedicated to accessibility in their company?
  • Who should users contact if they encounter an accessibility barrier?
  • Is their customer support trained to recognize when someone is reporting an accessibility issue?

If a vendor educates its staff and has a dedicated process for receiving and resolving accessibility issues, this is a good sign that they have considered accessibility as an important part of their internal processes.

Asking about accessibility is always a good idea when evaluating a new vendor. It helps communicate to vendors that we as a university value accessibility and places pressure on them over time to improve the accessibility of their products.

October Challenge

If you manage any software in your department, consider contacting a vendor you work with to ask them for this information. If you know someone who manages software for your department, please forward this email to them!

DAO News

This month we wanted to say farewell to Amelia Dickerson as she moves into a new role located in our CU Boulder Disability Services office. Amelia has worked at CU Boulder for 14 years, and she was a foundational member of the Accessibility and Usability Lab (AUL), the precursor to our Digital Accessibility Office. Throughout her time in digital accessibility at CU, Amelia has worked on accessibility testing, consulting, and developing educational resources that have benefited both CU and other higher education institutions. Amelia’s experience, knowledge, and commitment to advocacy have made her a trusted voice on our campus. Amelia will be missed in the Digital Accessibility Office, but we look forward to witnessing what she will achieve in her work in Disability Services. Thank you, Amelia, for all that you have done and accomplished while working on our team.

DAO Office Hours are now the 4th Tuesday of every month from 1-2 pm MT. Our next office hours will be held on November 22nd.

Your Thoughts

We want to hear from you about any questions or issues you run into while trying out this accessibility practice this month! Please send us your thoughts on this month’s topic.

If you have questions, comments, or would like support with accessibility, please contact us at DigitalAccessibility@Colorado.edu.

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