Dear Aeby
Shawn L. Henry, slhenry@optavia.com, Optavia Corporation
Wendy A Chisholm, wendy@w3.org, W3C
Dear Aeby,
My organization is just starting a major redesign of our website and we are committed to following accessibility guidelines. While we are designing and developing some of the site in-house, we will also be including some third-party products (like an online calendar) purchased from vendors, and contracting out the development of two of the sub-sites. How do we ensure that all the pieces are accessible?
Signed, Mix & Match
Dear Mix & Match,
You are asking the right questions at the right time. The answer is: get it in the contracts, get it in the contracts, get it in the contracts! We talk to many organizations that need to add accessibility requirements to established contracts and they are in a tight spot. You want to make sure that all agreements include accessibility up front.
Start by including accessibility in your requests for proposals (RFP) and other procurement documents. Make sure that all contracts signed include accessibility requirements.
You can include wording such as: "The product/site should meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT. All aspects of the product/site shall meet Priority One and Priority Two Checkpoints, and where feasible should also meet Priority Three Checkpoints."
If you are a government organization, also reference the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards required under Section 508 (see the reply below for more information). For an example of specific wording, see the Sample Solicitation/Contract Provisions/Clauses for Requirements for Users With Disabilities from the General Services Administration (GSA) Center on Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/cita/ssd.htm.
For purchased products, consider requiring vendors to submit a compliance report with their initial product demonstrations. For development projects, it is wise to ask vendors to provide accessibility compliance reports with both the initial designs as well as the final deliverable. This will help avoid the problem of a vendor completing the entire project and then you finding out they didn't honor the accessibility requirements in the contract.
Also be aware that accessibility might still be new to some vendors. Tell your vendors-both existing vendors and potential new vendors-right away that you require accessibility compliance. This will give them more time to incorporate accessibility if they aren't already. Some organizations offer to share in the accessibility effort. For example in your situation you could invite your vendors to attend the accessibility training that you provide for your internal team.
Even when accessibility is required in contracts, you will need to verify all content on your site and all content with your brand (such as content on a vendor's site that is co-branded). Include time and resources in your project plan for vendor support-to help vendors meet your specific accessibility requirements-and for quality assurance (QA) testing-for you to evaluate pieces developed by vendors.
Another consideration is whether to leave accessibility totally up to existing resources, or whether to include specific accessibility expertise. Consider including an accessibility specialist who can help your internal team, as well as work with your outside vendors as needed.
Finally, don't forget your existing contracts. Communicate with the appropriate procurement or purchasing people in your organization so that accessibility is included when existing contracts are renewed. You might also need to amend existing long-term contracts.
Dear Aeby,
I work for a web development firm and we are developing a web site for a federal agency. Do these sites have to comply with Section 508 standards? Does our firm's site have to comply?
Signed, Regulated
Dear Regulated,
Yes, the federal agency's site does have to comply with the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards required under Section 508. The standards and related information is provided on the Access Board website at http://www.access-board.gov/news/508-final.htm. The FAQ at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/Section%20508%20Questions%20and%20Answers.htm also addresses your question.
Technically, your firm's web site does not have to comply with the Section 508 standards. However, your firm can realize the benefits of making your site accessible. For example, when you are bidding on future work for federal agencies and commercial organizations required to comply with accessibility guidelines, clients are more likely to hire you if your site is accessible.
Many corporations follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) from the Word Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT.
Also, the site may be required to be accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). See a previous column at http://www.internettg.org/newsletter/mar00/dear_aeby.html for links to more information.
Dear Aeby,
We are in the process of updating our corporate IT software, including web browsers and web development tools. What should we be looking for in terms of accessibility?
Signed, Tooled
Dear Tooled,
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) provides guidelines for browsers ("user agents") and web development tools. You can find the working draft of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10/. The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines are at http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/.
Dear Readers,
If you have a question or an idea to share, send it to Aeby (AccEssiBilitY) at SLHenry@optavia.com, with the subject "Dear Aeby".
"Aeby" is Shawn Henry and Wendy Chisholm: Shawn Lawton Henry is director of R&D at Optavia Corporation (www.optavia.com), a research and consulting firm specializing in web accessibility. Shawn contributes to a number of accessibility and standards activities with the Trace Center, HFES/HCI 200 for ANSI, and ISO. Wendy Chisholm is a web accessibility engineer at the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Web Accessibility Initiative (www.w3.org/WAI) focusing on the development of tools and techniques to make the Web usable and accessible. Wendy is a co-editor of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.
Signed, Aeby
© Internet Technical Group
Last update: December 31, 2000
URL: http://www.sandia.gov/itg/newsletter/dec00/article_cui.html