This section lists guidelines addressing the District and College’s procurement of:
- Content Creation Tools
- Educational Software
- Course Materials
- Professional Services
The District and its Colleges strive to provide Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that is accessible to its current and future students, faculty, staff, and other constituents and to make the District/Colleges accessible institutions. To that end, the District and its Colleges are committed to procuring and using ICT that is accessible to their expected audiences, unless to do so places an undue burden on the District/College or will fundamentally alter the nature of the educational program or service.
1. Content Creation Tools
Content creation tools, such as the Canvas Learning Management System, the Microsoft Word processing program, and the Adobe Acrobat PDF document system, must be capable of producing electronic content that complies with the District accessibility standards. See Policy 7136 ICT Accessibility for details.
The District procurement policies require the tool vendor to provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) version 2.2. The ACR should be validated by either a hands-on demonstration, a trial period, or an independent third party. See Policy 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures and Regulation 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures for details.
2. Educational Software
Educational software, such as Wolfram Mathematica, Hawkes Learning, and Pearson’s MyMathLab must be capable of being effectively used by all students, i.e., it must meet the District’s accessibility standards. See Policy 7136 ICT Accessibility for details.
The District procurement policies require the software vendor to provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) version 2.2. The ACR should be validated by either a hands-on demonstration, a trial period, or an independent third party. The educational software vendor should indemnify the District against any accessibility-related claims and any required accommodations. See Policy 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures and Regulation 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures for details.
3. Course Materials
Third-party course materials, such as publisher-provided PowerPoint presentations and quiz banks, as well as audio and video materials, must comply with the District’s accessibility standards. See Policy 7136 ICT Accessibility for details.
Procurement decisions should be conditional upon successful accessibility using automated (Blackboard Ally) and manual (keyboard-only and screen-reader) testing procedures. See Policy 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures and Regulation 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures for details.
4. Professional Services
The District and Colleges occasionally hire third party consultants and professional services companies. The work of these parties must comply with the District’ accessibility standards. See Policy 7136 ICT Accessibility for details.
The District procurement policies require consultants to indemnify the District against any accessibility-related claims and any required accommodations related to their products and services. See Policy 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures and Regulation 8321 Contracts and Contract Procedures for details.