[Athen] VPAT?

[Normajean.Brand]

Yes, Katherine!
When I’ve been asked to evaluate a product, and actually received a VPAT to look at, tested/spot-checked, and found the product to be supported or not, and level A or AA, I ask

  *   Who is going to be using it?
  *   for how long
  *   is there another product that could satisfy the needs of all users present and future, not just a few users?
  *   how will the department address any areas that are not accessible?
  *   how will they ensure a student or employee can work, with or without accommodations, independently and not have someone else do the work for them?
Those aren’t the only questions I’ve learned to ask but it’s a start, and hopefully a meaningful conversation with the requestor.

Thank you for your input and insights, Katherine!
Gratitude for this community!
NJ

From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Katherine Deibel
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2022 3:24 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] VPAT?

I’ll just add a few things.

  *   It’s always worth it to spot check even the “fully supports” items. I wish I could say I’ve not experienced incorrectly filled out VPATs, but the reality is that more than half had such errors. Sometimes, the people filling out the VPAT don’t know how to do the proper testing. Other times, I suspect deliberate lying.
  *   In terms of weighting the VPAT entries, I always put heavier weights on the level A elements. If those are missing, the fundamentals are going to be lacking.
  *   It’s always important to consider the contextual factors. Sometimes, the software is for a niche purpose. I once reviewed some audio editing software where the VPAT admitted there was no support for captions and audio descriptions. Since the lab using that software was literally only for sound quality improvement, that was okay. Moreover, the lack of support for deaf and hard of hearing issues was deemed less critical given the need for hearing for the job.
  *   And while I applaud the optimism of the 100% accessible, they are in for a harsh reality. Although products are improving a lot a in recent years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 100% WCAG 2 AA compliant application. And that’s just compliance. WCAG has a huge support gap when it comes to a lot of cognitive disabilities.

Katherine “Kate” Deibel, PhD
Library Accessibility Specialist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/metageeky
GitHub: https://github.com/metageeky

From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Normajean.Brand
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2022 4:08 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] VPAT?

Thank you, Glen! And Jeanna!
This. This is what I’m trying to teach the faculty and others, including procurement, about VPATs. It’s not a ‘score’ or ‘percentage’. It seems we have a newly enthusiastic procurement person who is now team 100% accessible or we don’t use it. I applaud the enthusiasm though. Sometimes I’m battling a department that just won’t budge on their choice of product.

I appreciate your thoughts, wisdom, and help. This is above my paygrade but if asked I’m chiming in … because accessibility and usability matters to everyone.
Thanks! Have a wonderful weekend,
NJ

From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of glen walker
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2022 12:51 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] VPAT?

It'd be nice if, when comparing multiple VPATs, you could get a "score" and then just choose the highest score but it doesn't work like that.

You could potentially tally up the number of "supports", "partially supports" and "does not support" values and maybe create a score.  But a VPAT with a lot of "partially supports" might actually be more accessible than a product with a lot of "supports" if the latter also has a lot of "does not support".  The "not applicable" values should count against a product.

With a WCAG 2.1 VPAT/ACR, you should have 30 rows in the A table and 20 rows in the AA tables (50 combined).

Suppose the VPAT has 25 "supports", 15 "partially supports", 7 "does not support", and 3 "not applicable".  Is that a 50% score?  25 "supports" out of a total of 50?  The "partially supports" should also help the "score".

It's a tough call.  Ideally, the product with the most "supports" and "partially supports" should win.

But you might have to evaluate the "does not support" items.  It could be that the parts that aren't supported are in a part of the product that you won't be using, so the fact that it doesn't work doesn't matter.

Sometimes you have to pick the product that is "least worst".  That is, all the VPATs could be bad but if that's all you have to choose from, try to use the one that sucks the least.  But hopefully if that happens, you have the option of choosing none of them and doing more research for other products.

Glen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-walker/


On Fri, May 13, 2022 at 11:08 AM Normajean.Brand <normajean.brand at hccs.edu<mailto:normajean.brand at hccs.edu>> wrote:
Hello All, and good Friday!

When looking at a VPAT (and I’m not sure I’m even asking the question correctly), what would be the baseline of acceptable accessibility – 75%, 85%, or something else – as to whether your college would accept and vet a product for use? I know we would all like for products to be 100% accessible, but what is your baseline?

I hope this makes sense, because I was asked by an academic department looking at procuring new software, what would be acceptable.

Thanks for your insight,
NJ

NJ Brand, BAAS-Psych, ATAC
(she/her/hers) <--- What Is This<https://assets2.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/HRC_ACAF_Pronouns_101_(1).pdf?_ga=2.91660819.84602280.1571755713-1618351664.1571755713>
ADA Tech/Assistive Technology Technician, Center for Learning Innovation
● Spring Branch Campus ● Suite RC12/13 – Note: Working remotely, off-campus, until further notice
● T: 713.718.5604 ● F:713.718.5430 ● HCCS<http://hccs.edu/> <http://hccs.edu/>  ● Counseling & Ability Services<https://www.hccs.edu/support-services/counseling/>
Accessibility and Inclusion are shared institutional responsibilities. #ally #highered #inclusion

Confidential - Do Not Copy or Distribute:  This message may contain confidential information. It is intended only for the individuals(s) named herein. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this email in error) please notify the sender immediately. This message may also be legally privileged. If you are not the named addressee(s), you must delete this email immediately. Do not disseminate, distribute, or copy.

_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20220513/69585ac6/attachment.html>