Event Title
The super power of purchasing
Location
DiGiorgio Campus Center 220
Description
Only the shadow knows the potency universities have in championing the social justice cause for those with disabilities. An often-overlooked super power is tapping into the marketplace’s economic dynamics. By demanding 508 compliance for products we buy, we can force companies to reevaluate their product design, documentation, training and support services. By educating buyers and purchasers, we equip a new set of super heroes to take on the evils of inaccessible educational tools.
Here are some of the gear we can use in our work:
1. Power Gloves: Contract language • Don’t sign the contract until they say “Uncle” to accessibility • Holding them accountable – when we find problems with their products • Requesting a accessibility road map
2. Utility Belt -- Grappling hook: VPATS Demand vendors present documentation stating the accessibility level of the product they want to buy -- but give them slack and help them learn how to fill out a VPAT
3. Utility belt -- Xtra vision glasses: Training buyers • Exemptions and Exceptions • VPAT analysis -- teach them to know what is 508 compliant • Blank VPATs and instructions – to target rogue vendors
4. Protective Books: Writing the EEAAP -- Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan – have something in place when you know the product is not 508 compliant, but so education can go on.
5. Utility belt -- Tricorder – are there signs of life – • handling customer service • dealing with purchasers • dealing with vendors
6. Secret Cave – Testing Lab • Testing the products manually or using automated tools • Developing documentation to make testing consistent • Create means of standard documentation
Goals: Educate users on the following: Problems with a 508-compliance purchase requirement What is a VPAT What does 508 compliance mean What is an EEAAP, and how to write one What manual testing procedures can be used. What are automated processes Examples of products that have been evaluated Mystery products often overlooked: like software that comes with book purchase Explain why one has to educate the process Remediating problem products
The super power of purchasing
DiGiorgio Campus Center 220
Only the shadow knows the potency universities have in championing the social justice cause for those with disabilities. An often-overlooked super power is tapping into the marketplace’s economic dynamics. By demanding 508 compliance for products we buy, we can force companies to reevaluate their product design, documentation, training and support services. By educating buyers and purchasers, we equip a new set of super heroes to take on the evils of inaccessible educational tools.
Here are some of the gear we can use in our work:
1. Power Gloves: Contract language • Don’t sign the contract until they say “Uncle” to accessibility • Holding them accountable – when we find problems with their products • Requesting a accessibility road map
2. Utility Belt -- Grappling hook: VPATS Demand vendors present documentation stating the accessibility level of the product they want to buy -- but give them slack and help them learn how to fill out a VPAT
3. Utility belt -- Xtra vision glasses: Training buyers • Exemptions and Exceptions • VPAT analysis -- teach them to know what is 508 compliant • Blank VPATs and instructions – to target rogue vendors
4. Protective Books: Writing the EEAAP -- Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan – have something in place when you know the product is not 508 compliant, but so education can go on.
5. Utility belt -- Tricorder – are there signs of life – • handling customer service • dealing with purchasers • dealing with vendors
6. Secret Cave – Testing Lab • Testing the products manually or using automated tools • Developing documentation to make testing consistent • Create means of standard documentation
Goals: Educate users on the following: Problems with a 508-compliance purchase requirement What is a VPAT What does 508 compliance mean What is an EEAAP, and how to write one What manual testing procedures can be used. What are automated processes Examples of products that have been evaluated Mystery products often overlooked: like software that comes with book purchase Explain why one has to educate the process Remediating problem products
