Accessible Procurement at Clemson

The first item that the accessibility specialist will ask for is a copy of the product's latest Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) or—as it is perhaps better known—a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). This report gives the product grades for how well it conforms to each individual accessibility criteria. The grades given are "Supported," "Supported with exceptions," "Not supported," and "Not applicable." Clemson will want the product or service to have mostly "Supported" grades with, perhaps a few "Not applicable" grades. A few "Supported with exceptions" may be allowed, but it depends on the exceptions.

An ACR will not guarantee a product's accessibility, but it can give great insight into how seriously the company takes accessibility. If the ACR was not constructed from a 2.0 or later VPAT or was based on an evaluation conducted more than two and a half to three years ago, it could mean that the company cared about accessibility at one time but has not kept up with it recently. If the ACR does not provide results for multiple operating systems (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, etc.) when the product is available on multiple operating systems or if the ACR says that the report is based on the use of only a single screen reader program, that may suggest that the company does not have a strong or large accessibility team yet. Finally, if the ACR evaluation was completed by a reputable third party or the final draft of the vendor-made ACR was reviewed by a reputable third party, then it is more likely that the report is a truer depiction of the product's conformance level.

As digital products update frequently the accuracy of the ACR's portrayal of the product's accessibility will vary. If the accessibility specialist is not satisfied with the ACR or if the product being acquired will be used by a considerably large group, the specialist may request a vendor demonstration. 

In general, you want the vendor to be prepared to produce the following:

• A live presentation.
  • Avoid recordings as much as possible because video editing can make a product seem more accessible than it is.
  • In many cases a remote presentation through Zoom or a similar platform will be allowed.
• Exploration of the locations and processes you generally expect your users to interact with.
  • As demonstrations usually have a time limit, you should prepare the vendor by describing the processes that students, faculty, and/or staff will be expected to complete in or with the product so that the high-traffic areas are included in the demonstration.
  • In the list of processes they should demonstrate, be sure to include accessing the support documentation.
• Proof of support for users with disabilities. More specifically:
  • The vendor will be asked to demonstrate that the product can be operated using only the keyboard, thus supporting users who cannot use a mouse.
  • The vendor will be asked to demonstrate how information and functionality is still available when text is enlareged or zoomed-in by 200%, thus supporting users with low vision.
  • The vendor will be asked to demonstrate how the color contrast between text and background is sufficient, thus supporting users with low vision.
  • The vendor will be asked to demonstrate how screen reader programs (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) can access information and engage with interactive elements, thus supporting users with low and no vision.
  • The vendor will be asked to demonstrate or explain how users can access accessibility support within the application, including how to contact appropriate support staff for assistance.