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Re: comprehensive list of keyboard accessible software?

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From: Jonathan Metz
Date: Aug 1, 2013 10:08AM

Thanks Sarah,


Very useful advice! As I used to freelance quite a bit, I agree completely
with getting everything in writing! I¹ll take a gander at your page for
some ideas as we get our ducks in a row.

Jon

On 8/1/13 11:49 AM, "Bourne, Sarah (ITD)" < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

>On 8/1/13 9:01 AM, " Jonathan Metz " wrote:
>>Theoretically, if an agency went through the normal market research and
>>acquired that software on the basis of their VPAT, doesn't the FAR allow
>>the agency to require that they live up to their accessibility claims?
>
>Almost every VPAT I have ever seen includes a disclaimer along the lines
>of, "this document has no legal standing". Here is an example, with the
>company name redacted:
>"This document is for informational purposes only. Its content is
>subject to change without notice, and [company] does not warrant that it
>is error-free. [company] MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OR OF
>MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
>The information contained in this document represents [company] 's
>current view of accessibility criteria as of the date of publication; it
>is in no way intended to be a binding guideline on how to ensure
>accessibility of software products. [company] specifically disclaims any
>liability with respect to this document and no contractual obligations or
>commitments are formed either directly or indirectly by this document.
>This document is for internal use only and may not be circulated or
>distributed outside your organization without [company]'s prior written
>authorization."
>
>The best tool for ensuring that any given vendor sticks to its
>accessibility claims (and/or your standards) is to make sure that it is
>in your procurement documents and final contract. I recommend that that
>you hold out for adherence to standards rather than their claims to
>minimize weasel holes. In cases where a product is not fully compliant at
>time of selection, you should include terms that require them to fix bugs
>(preferably prior to launch) or to help you identify non-onerous
>mitigations and accommodations. We have been using this process for a
>few years now; results have been improving over time. A large part of
>our success is the use of non-biased, expert third-party testers. This
>mitigates the quality problems with VPATs. More information on our IT
>Acquisition Accessibility Compliance Program can be found at
>http://mass.gov/accessibility if you'd like to borrow ideas.
>
>sb
>Sarah E. Bourne
>Director of Assistive Technology &
>Mass.Gov Chief Technology Strategist
>Information Technology Division
>Commonwealth of Massachusetts
>1 Ashburton Pl. rm 1601 Boston MA 02108
>617-626-4502
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
>http://www.mass.gov/itd
>>>