Web accessibility/Links/WACC102/Announcement3

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Week 3: Bringing Digital Accessibility Elements Together
We are now into the final week of the course.

A focus this week is on procurement, and how it fits into digital accessibility policy. We’ll look at how to ask for accessibility in RFPs when purchasing or licensing information technology, and look at including accessibility in contracts to ensure vendors remain responsible for providing products and services that stay accessible for the life of the contract. We will also look at Accessibility Statements and how to craft one that can be used in various contexts to express an organization’s commitment to accessibility. In Activity 4 - Critique Accessibility Claims you will look at vendor claims with a critical eye, to be sure you do not inadvertently get into a situation purchasing products and services that are not as accessible as their vendor had claimed, and get into trouble for failing to properly evaluate your organization’s purchases. Vendors are typically in business to make money, and may bend the truth, so it is important to do due diligence when purchasing IT.

In Ontario, the AODA makes it mandatory to consider accessibility when purchasing IT. When purchasing you’ll likely find vendors who understand the importance of accessibility, and are making efforts to ensure their products and services can be accessed by people with disabilities. Often, however, these products or services do not comply in the strict sense, with accessibility guidelines, but may be "good enough." It is often possible to work with vendors to make adjustments to their product to improve accessibility. The bottom line is, if there are two comparable products, organizations in Ontario must purchase the more accessible one, all other things being equal.

This week we’ll also look at employment, both in terms of providing accessible interview and hiring procedures, and in terms of hiring staff that understand accessibility as it applies to the roles they may fill. Much like procurement, if you have two comparable candidates, it is a good decision to hire the one that knows about accessibility

When we hire at The Chang School, there is always a question or two that tests a candidate's accessibility knowledge. Though for many roles candidates typically have little knowledge, those who do have it are at an advantage. If we do hire a person without accessibility knowledge (which is most of the time), it generally does not take too much to get them up to speed. For key accessibility roles, like an accessibility specialist or a accessible web/software developer, for instance, in those cases accessibility knowledge is required. In Activity 5 - Find an IT Accessibility Professional Job Description, you will seek out potential job descriptions, and see what skills and knowledge are typically required for these roles.

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It'll be a busy week this week, with everything due by Sunday at Midnight.

So, be sure to post a link to your Final Project: The Sharp Digital Accessibility Policy before end of the course.

If you have questions about the course project, or anything else course related, post them to the Course General Forum.

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