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KATS Network > Publications > AITIS > Accessibility Guidelines > Implementing an Accessible IT Technology Selection Process

KY Accessible Information Technology in Schools (AITIS) Project

Tutorial: Kentucky Accessibility Guidelines for K-12 Education-based Information Technology

Unit 5: Implementing an Accessible IT Technology Selection Process

It is important to ensure that accessibility is included as an essential criteria when district or school staff are selecting IT products or services. This is especially true when the selection and purchase is made outside of a contractual process in which a “technology access clause” will be added.

One of the first questions that will come to mind is how can a school know if a specific software application or device meets the Section 508 Accessibility Standards. Unfortunately, vendors do not necessarily advertise the accessibility specifics of their products, and many times your first inquiry about accessibility produces no answers. One of the first things you should try is to see if the vendor has placed a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) on its website. If not, ask the vendor if they can email you one, and if they have not completed a VPAT as of yet, ask that they do so. The VPAT will provide school technology staff with information for making preliminary assessments regarding the ability of the product to support the Section 508 accessibility criteria. For an example, see the listing of Microsoft's VPATs. More information about the VPAT is available at the Information Technology Industry Council VPAT FAQ.

The Federal government also has a handy resource available called the Buy Accessible Wizard. The buy accessible wizard is a web-based application that guides users through a process of gathering data and providing information about Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) and section 508 compliance. The wizard supports decisions about section 508 relevance and applicability, which are the first steps in a general process for section 508 compliance. The wizard compiles a running summary to document this process and its results. The wizard allows users to manage, start, stop and resume multiple summaries for various E&IT analyses.

Another useful resource is the Educational Software Preview Center which is operated by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium (MAR*TEC). The Educational Software Preview Center is a collection of educational software and practitioner reviews. This center allows teachers and educational leaders to analyze, and select educational software for integration into their educational practice. This online catalog includes a searchable database of software accompanied by practitioner reviews and integration advice. One of the key criteria provided in these reviews is software accessibility.

Guidelines Component:

The following are some guidelines components which will help to ensure that accessibility criteria are address in any technology selection process:

1. When selecting information technology products and services for purchase by the District and by any school within the District, the District shall ensure that compliance with federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards and/or federal Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines is an essential selection criterion, whether or not the purchase is made through a contract.
2. When selecting information technology products and services for purchase by the District and by any school within the District, the District shall further give due consideration to the capability of the vendor to demonstrate the ability of any product or service to be effectively used with nonvisual access software and peripheral assistive technology devices as an additional selection criterion, whether or not any individual with a disability is currently expected to use the technology.

Compliance Checklist:

The following questions will help districts and schools examine their ability to address this issue:

• Have all staff with purchasing authority at any level been informed about the need to ensure that all technology products and services purchased for use by employees, students, and the general public, must comply with Accessibility Standards?
• If the District has a software adoption policy or request procedure in place, is compliance with Accessibility Standards and usability with assistive technology products part of the policy or request procedure consideration?

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