CPACC Procurement and Accessibility 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A university purchasing team is buying an online learning management system (LMS). Which stakeholder group should be consulted during the accessibility evaluation phase?
- Only the IT department
- Only the legal counsel
- Students and faculty with disabilities, alongside IT and legal teams (Correct answer)
- Only the vendor's sales representative
Correct answer: Students and faculty with disabilities, alongside IT and legal teams
People with disabilities are the intended beneficiaries of accessibility requirements and should be included in usability and accessibility evaluations alongside technical and legal reviewers.
Question 2: What does 'undue burden' mean in the context of U.S. accessibility law and procurement?
- Any accessibility requirement that costs more than $500
- A significant difficulty or expense that would fundamentally compromise an organization's ability to function (Correct answer)
- Any feature not supported by the vendor's roadmap
- The time required to train staff on accessible tools
Correct answer: A significant difficulty or expense that would fundamentally compromise an organization's ability to function
Undue burden refers to significant difficulty or expense relative to an organization's resources; it is a legal standard that may allow an exception to accessibility requirements.
Question 3: A software vendor provides an ACR that lists many WCAG success criteria as 'Supports with Exceptions.' What does this rating indicate?
- The product fully conforms to the criterion
- The product does not support the criterion at all
- The product meets the criterion in most cases but has some instances of non-conformance (Correct answer)
- The criterion is not applicable to the product
Correct answer: The product meets the criterion in most cases but has some instances of non-conformance
'Supports with Exceptions' in a VPAT/ACR means the product generally meets the criterion but has documented instances where it does not fully conform.
Question 4: Which international standard complements WCAG by providing guidelines specifically for non-web ICT products like software and hardware?
- ISO 9001
- EN 301 549 (Correct answer)
- NIST SP 800-53
- IEEE 802.11
Correct answer: EN 301 549
EN 301 549 is the European standard that covers accessibility requirements for ICT products and services, including non-web software and hardware, and is referenced globally.
Question 5: During contract negotiations, a procurement officer wants to ensure ongoing accessibility compliance after purchase. Which contract clause best achieves this?
- A clause requiring the vendor to use only open-source code
- A clause requiring the vendor to maintain WCAG AA conformance through all future updates and provide updated ACRs (Correct answer)
- A clause capping the software license fee
- A clause prohibiting any user interface changes
Correct answer: A clause requiring the vendor to maintain WCAG AA conformance through all future updates and provide updated ACRs
Requiring vendors to maintain accessibility conformance through updates and submit updated ACRs ensures accessibility is sustained throughout the contract lifecycle, not just at purchase.
Question 6: A company wants to evaluate three competing video conferencing tools for accessibility. Which approach provides the most reliable comparison?
- Reviewing each vendor's marketing website for accessibility badges
- Comparing vendor-submitted VPATs and supplementing with hands-on testing using assistive technologies (Correct answer)
- Selecting the tool with the most users globally
- Choosing the tool that offers the most features overall
Correct answer: Comparing vendor-submitted VPATs and supplementing with hands-on testing using assistive technologies
Combining VPAT review with direct hands-on testing using assistive technologies like screen readers provides the most accurate and reliable accessibility comparison across products.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'accessibility by default' in procurement strategy?
- Only purchasing products after a disability complaint is filed
- Making accessibility a standard, non-negotiable requirement in every procurement process from the start (Correct answer)
- Relying solely on vendors to self-certify their products
- Addressing accessibility only when budgets allow
Correct answer: Making accessibility a standard, non-negotiable requirement in every procurement process from the start
Accessibility by default means embedding accessibility requirements into every procurement from the outset rather than treating it as optional or reactive.
CPACC Procurement and Accessibility 5
A university purchasing team is buying an online learning management system (LMS).
Which stakeholder group should be consulted during the accessibility evaluation phase?