Categories
reporting roundup

Resources for Procurement of Accessible Digital Products and VPAT

Do you need to provide or to purchase an accessible website or other digital product but don’t know how to go about it? You’ll likely need to create or analyze an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) which is created from a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). You can download the VPAT templates on the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC) website.

There are four different versions of the VPAT:

  • VPAT Rev 508: Revised Section 508 standards – the U.S. Federal accessibility standard
  • VPAT Rev EU: EN 301 549 – the European Union’s “Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe”
  • VPAT Rev WCAG: WCAG 2.1 or ISO/IEC 40500 (equivalent to WCAG 2.0) and WCAG2.1, W3C/WAI’s recently updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  • VPAT INT: International; incorporates all three of the above standards

Here are some great resources on how to leverage VPATs and ACRs:

ITI logo
VPATs are provided by ITI, the Information Technology Industry Council
Categories
roundup

Reading List May 2023

Recommended resources on web accessibility from over the last several months:

Categories
event roundup

Upcoming Accessibility Events (2023)

Mark your calendar! Here are some terrific digital accessibility events coming up in 2023. Please add any good ones that I missed in the comments.

Also, check out my Twitter list of accessibility meetup groups around the world.

calendar icon says upcoming events

Categories
disability roundup

Stock photos of people with disabilities

Slightly off topic, but if you’re seeking a stock photo including people with a disability, here is a list of resources. Please submit a comment if you know of any others!

  • Pixabay (disability search) – free images & royalty free stock.
  • Disability Inclusive Stock Photography – Disability:IN is pleased to offer disability inclusive stock photography to the public. In an effort to empower business to achieve disability inclusion and equality, we encourage corporations to use this in recruitment material, marketing material, internal and external communications, etc. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
  • Pexels (disability search) Free Disability Photos.
  • Disabled And Here Collection – This stock library is a disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive images from our own perspective, with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC).
  • DisabilityImages – Nice photos but requires payment. Disability Images was acquired by Design Pics Inc. in July of 2019. After building this unique collection depicting authentic persons with real disabilities over the past many years, the previous owners elected to have Disability Images become part the Design Pics family of brands. This transition allows for continued service to the valued clients who have come to rely on this collection to serve their specific image requirements.
  • PhotoAbility – Nice photos but requires payment. Stock Image Library featuring individuals with disabilities in Travel, Leisure and Lifestyle settings.
  • The Disability Illustration Pack – by Black Illustrations, $18 at time of publishing
  • SocietyPix / gesellschaftsbilder.de (added from comments) – their vision is to “expand the photo collection to show members of other marginalized communities in non-stereotypical ways”. They are free to use for editorial purposes and for a small fee for others.
  • Added: Americans with Disabilities – Home Safety Best Practices – a set of royalty-free stock photos

woman in wheelchair sitting at desk with computer, smiling, and waving

Categories
jobs roundup

Digital Accessibility Jobs, Dec 2022

Here’s a list of some of the latest job openings in digital accessibility—some great opportunities!