Institutions of Higher Education Need ACRs
The Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR, or completed VPAT) is used in digital accessibility reviews of IT products and services. If TAMU-CC is the first to request an ACR from your company, then you are not alone. The lack of consistent messaging to you of our requirements is well-known, and it will be changing.
We follow federal and state laws and regulations to ensure access for our entire community. We do not just comply with regulations. We know that making IT accessible improves your products and services while it becomes accessible to people with disabilities.
Below is a sampling of university procedures for IT accessibility review. They all request a VPAT:
- Arizona State University Working with vendors and VPATs
- Arkansas State University Technology Accessibility
- California State University Channel Islands Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Frequently Asked Questions
- George Mason University Purchasing and Procurement
- Long Beach City College Accessibility Standards for Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- Kent State University Procurement (Purchasing)
- North Carolina State University Procurement
- Portland Community College Evaluation of proposed accessible technology purchase
- Princeton University Information Technology Procurement Accessibility Guidelines
- San Francisco State University Common Questions on Accessible Procurement
- Sonoma State University IT Purchasing Requirements
- Stanislaus State The ATI Review process
- Texas A&M University Procuring IT Products and Services
- Texas State University Accessibility Procurement Resources
- The University of Chicago Procurement
- The University of Iowa Technology Review: Understanding VPAT and ACR
- The University of Texas System 3.4 Contracts for Software, Cloud-based Solutions and Websites
- University of Cincinnati What is a VPAT?
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas Procurement and Purchasing for Accessibility Conformance
- University of Oregon Verifying Vendor Information
- West Virginia University For Buyers
Note: Institutions of higher education (IHE) also include accessibility in their contractual language. These lists are not comprehensive. Many IHE's have website policies that focus on marketing to prospective students. Internal procedures are located on intranets.
References
VPAT/ACR Tools
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) OpenACR Editor
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) tool
Federal and International Guidelines
- Guide to Disability Rights Laws
- Under U.S. Section 508, federal agencies and entities receiving federal funding follow: Worldwide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0, Level AA conformance (WCAG 2.0 AA)
- WCAG 2.1 Adoption in Europe (W3C)
State Rules and Guidelines
- Technical Accessibility Standards
- Software Applications and Operating Systems (TAC §213.30) (includes websites and web applications)
- Websites (TAC §206.70)
- Telecommunications Products (TAC §213.31)
- Video and Multimedia Products (TAC §213.32) (includes those products hosted on websites and web applications)
- Hardware (TAC §213.33) (includes desktop and portable computers)
- Standards for all Electronic and Information Resources (EIR)
- Procurement Review Process