The university requires all purchases meet digital accessibility requirements whenever they include software, websites, online tools, or vendor‑provided digital content such as PDFs or reports. This requirement also applies to websites that will be used by employees/students/the public to complete transactions. If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, Digital Accessibility compliance will apply.
- Does the purchase include any of the following, either as a primary or secondary component?
- A website or web-based platform
- A mobile application
- Software (including SaaS or cloud-based tools)
- Online forms or portals
- Digital instructional or training tools
- Does the purchase include other embedded digital components?
- Examples include software bundled with equipment, user portals, or online dashboards.
- If the purchase involves a physical item, are employees/students/the public required to use the supplier’s digital content or website?
- Examples include photographer posting photos to their own website for ordering from students
- Will the vendor provide or generate digital content or documents as deliverables?
- Examples include reports, PDFs, presentations, or similar materials
This ensures the technology and/or materials are usable by individuals with disabilities and compliant with federal disability laws. The level of review depends on who will use the product. Tools intended for broad audiences—such as students, employees,or the public—may require additional evaluation and documentation compared to tools used by a single individual or a small internal team.
New actions for business units
Because of these requirements, procurements involving digital components may take longer to complete. The business unit will be asked to fill out an internal Digital Accessibility Risk Analysis form and gather any of the below accessibility documentation from vendors:
- VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report)
- HECVAT (Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit)
- Accessibility remediation plans or roadmaps
- Other accessibility reports or documentation
The business unit may also need to request a digital accessibility evaluation from the Center for User Experience (CUE). Check out the What to expect from digital accessibility evaluations page for more information on this no-cost service for vendor products being considered for procurement.
When working with purchasing teams, ensure they’re aware that digital accessibility compliance applies. Purchasing teams must include accessibility requirements in contracts. These expectations also apply to contract renewals, which are treated as new opportunities to address accessibility.
Ultimately, departments play an important role in ensuring that digital tools and content they purchase are accessible, incorporating digital accessibility into market research and gathering accessibility documentation from vendors. Departments may also need to consider a different tool to meet legal obligations and support an inclusive experience for all users
Key Takeaways
- Accessibility is now required for all digital content and tools
- Most procurements involving digital components will take more time
- Tools intended for broad audiences (students, public, campus-wide) may require additional evaluation and documentation
- Departments may need to consider procuring a different tool to meet accessibility requirements