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VPAT repository?

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From: Shuttlesworth, Rachel
Date: Nov 4, 2011 2:12PM

Hi, all.

We are considering how we should collect and make available to those who need them VPATs for the technology tools used for our campus. The vendors who have been asked so far have just been given the link: http://www.itic.org/index.php?src=gendocs&;ref=vpat&category=resources and told that they should email the VPAT or its URL to me. As we expand our efforts, several questions have come up. If you have experience with this or ideas about it, could you share?

- Is there a central area on campus that should collect VPATs from vendors?
- Is there a commonly/publically available area online that is hosted by the campus where the VPATs can be accessed? Is there any reason NOT to make these public?
- Is a vendor REQUIRED to produce a VPAT (even though the name says 'voluntary' :-)) before its bid is considered? i.e. is submitting a VPAT a prerequisite for us doing business with your firm?
- VPATs don't ensure accessibility by a long shot. How does the vendor VPAT content affect the decision to go with the product?
- How do you deal with one-off tech purchases? Say, if one faculty member in one department chooses a certain free online product for use with his or her class, who collects the VPAT?
- How do we coordinate requesting updated VPATs when a product is updated?

Thanks for any ideas or advice you may have.

Rachel

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Rachel Shuttlesworth Thompson
Director, Emerging Technologies and Research, Center for Instructional Technology
University of Alabama
Box 870346 * Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0346
205.348.0216