Accessible Purchasing

Purchasing Instructional Materials

TBR’s purchasing guideline for Accessible Instructional Materials & Technology (AIMT) requires vendor’s products and services conform to the adopted TBR accessibility standards. This requirement has provided specific resources for vendors to use in identifying their approach to accessible informational material and technology development and conformance – including a timeline to full conformance.

Required Vendor Documentation 

  1. Accessibility Statement - Vendors need to fully conform to TBR identified accessibility standards and demonstrate how they meet accessibility standards in the Accessibility Statement form - if not fully conformant now, (only in the case there is no other material or technology that does the same thing and is accessible) then at some point in the near future in order for us to do business with them. Please note that the following forms must also be completed as applicable:
  2. Conformance and Remediation Form - If the vendor is not fully conformant now, they need to identify when they will be conformant in the Conformance and Remediation form and demonstrate substantial progress to meet agreed upon deadlines – we retain the right to cancel a contract or discontinue use of a material or technology if substantial progress to meet full conformance is not achieved.

Note: If an IMT is adopted or procured and it is not technically feasible for the product to be accessible, then an Alternative Access Plan must be developed for any conformance gaps of that product and used until such time the IMT is replaced with an AIMT or the IMT is fully conformant. It is the responsibility of the requesting Vol State division/department to develop an alternative access plan.

Contacting Vendors

This document may be used as a template to request accessibility documentation from vendors and publishers. We have a list of accessibility/usability questions you may want to ask your sales representative to get a feel for how accessible their materials are.

Definitions

"Informational Materials" are items that are created, purchased or identified to serve in instruction and/or communicate information both in the curricular and non-curricular settings. These items may include, but not limited to, documents, textbooks, library media, software content, web/online content and learning objects, E-Books, videos, learning laboratories, recordings, and ITV content.

"Technology" or "Information and Communication Technology" (ICT) includes information technology, equipment, or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment for which the principal function is the creation, conversion, duplication, automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, reception, or broadcast of data or information.  Examples of ICT includes, but is not limited to, Internet and intranet websites, electronic content, electronic books and electronic book reading systems, search engines and databases, learning management systems, classroom technology and multimedia, telecommunications products, computers and ancillary equipment, software, information kiosks and transaction machines, videos, IT services, and multifunction office machines which copy, scan, fax documents and emerging technologies.

Purchasing & Procurement

Contact the Purchasing & Contracts Office for more information regarding Vol State purchasing department policies and resources.