[Athen] Ensuring 508 compliance of university IT products

[Jon Gunderson]

We have developed some purchasing guidelines at:
http://purchasing.cita.uiuc.edu/web.php

Jon


---- Original message ----

>Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2007 10:34:09 -0700

>From: Howard Kramer <Howard.Kramer at colorado.edu>  

>Subject: [Athen] Ensuring 508 compliance of university IT products  

>To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network <athen at athenpro.org>

>

>   Hello All & Happy New Year (isn't it great to be

>   back!):

>

>   I'm working with our office of Provost for

>   Technology to possibly implement a 508 check at the

>   procurement level for any system-wide IT purchases -

>   i.e. webmail, calendaring, etc. I'm wondering if any

>   other campuses have implemented some type of 508

>   stipulation at the procurement level, or if not, do

>   you have any other type of mechanism in play to

>   ensure 508 compliance of campus-wide IT - besides

>   simply the campus education & outreach approach.

>

>   This all follows a frustrating experience last year

>   when ITS purchased a new inaccessible

>   Webmail/calendaring product after we gave them

>   feedback that the product was not accessible. Our

>   ITS dept. has usually been cooperative with trying

>   to comply with 508. However, in this case they

>   proceeded with the purchase with the argument that

>   using a different interface - i.e. Outlook -

>   screenreader users could still access the product.

>   Not a view I agree with.

>

>   Thanks,

>   Howard

>

>   Howard Kramer

>   Assistive Technology Lab Coordinator

>   AT Conference Coordinator

>   Disability Services

>   CU-Boulder, 107 UCB

>   Boulder, Co  80309

>   303-492-8672

>

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Jon Gunderson, Ph.D.
Director of IT Accessibility Services
Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services (CITES)
and 
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES)

Voice: (217) 244-5870
Fax: (217) 333-0248
Cell: (217) 714-6313

E-mail: jongund at uiuc.edu

WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/
WWW: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jongund/www/