Technology purchasers

Digital accessibility requirements

Most Electronic and Information Technology ("EIT") products and services will need to comply with IU's digital accessibility standard at minimum.

The search for and purchase of EIT products and services to be used as part of Indiana University services, programs, and activities must comply with the following Federal and state laws:

• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act require digital accessibility for products and services must conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
• Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act requires the procurement of the most accessible products or services available.
• Indiana Code 4-13.1-3 "requires all state information technology equipment, software, and systems used by the public or state employees to comply with accessibility standards outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1". Indiana University is an Indiana public entity that this applies to.

Indiana University's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy (UA-02) and legal obligations under the updated Americans with Disabilities Act: Title II criteria, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and Indiana Code § 4-13.1-3-1 require EIT products and services to be digitally accessible to individuals with disabilities. In some cases, state and local laws may pose additional requirements exceeding those currently published in IU's policies and standards.

Your responsibilities

Technology purchasers and their department or unit are responsible for ensuring they request the most accessible software or service. When you request or purchase Electronic & Information Technology (EIT), you take on specific responsibilities for protecting the university and ensuring accessibility compliance.

Risks you accept

Your purchasing decisions can have impact, including compliance risks for both yourself and the university, including:

• Loss of the university's Federal funding (including research funds), if accessibility laws are violated.
• Personal and university legal exposure under Section 508, ADA, Indiana Code, and IU policy.
• Barriers for students, faculty, and staff who rely on accessible technology.

Your actions when shopping

You should:

• Share the Big Ten Academic Alliance Digital Accessibility Vendor Cookbook with your current and potential suppliers.
• Treat accessibility as a primary requirement, not optional.
• Request accessibility documentation from the supplier.
• Evaluate products using IU's digital accessibility standard.
• Use IU's accessibility scoring process and retain documentation showing you selected the most accessible option available.

Your responsibilities after purchase

You should work with the supplier to:

• Address any known or discovered accessibility gaps.
• Obtain the supplier's accessibility remediation plan with timelines.
• Verify accessibility changes that are made using the minimum manual testing protocol.
• Monitor accessibility commitments for the product.

If you purchase, or request an exception for, a product or service that still requires change by the supplier, you, as the product owner or requestor, are accepting individual responsibility for the university to work with the supplier to improve the accessibility of the product. You will need to work with the supplier as they work to resolve the outstanding issues to improve the accessibility of their product. You will also need to perform the verification yourself once they have made accessibility changes to their product.

Learn about a Temporary Alternate Access Plan.

Action plan

1. Include accessibility as a primary requirement for all technology purchases.
2. Research and shop for the most accessible product that meets functional requirements.
3. Share the Big Ten Academic Alliance Digital Accessibility Vendor Cookbook with your current and potential suppliers.
4. Use the VPAT scoring process and tally sheet to compare products. Save a copy to document that you are requesting the more accessible product.
5. Work with your supplier. Ensure they make any required changes to improve the accessibility of their products.
6. Create a Temporary Alternate Access Plan to be used while the supplier is making those required changes.