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Re: comprehensive list of keyboard accessible software?

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From: Bourne, Sarah (ITD)
Date: Aug 1, 2013 9:49AM

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