The first review of the AODA’s Information and communications Standards became public in 2020. In this review, the AODA Information and Communications Standards Development Committee outlines improvements to make information and communications accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. The Committee recommends changes to the Information and Communications Standards, to identify, remove, and prevent accessibility barriers in information. In addition, the Committee recommends an alternative system for developing, updating, and enforcing AODA standards. This new system would affect the Information and Communications Standards, as well as other existing and future standards. This article will discuss the Committee’s recommendations for accessible procurement for websites.
Accessible Procurement for Websites
The General Requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) mandate accessible procurement of goods, services, and facilities. In other words, the goods, services, or facilities organizations buy or acquire must be accessible to people with disabilities. This requirement applies to public sector organizations with:
However, none of the AODA Standards mandate that organizations must procure accessible goods or services to ensure web accessibility. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the Standards should include requirements mandating accessible procurement for websites. In this way, public-sector organizations would need to buy or acquire accessible goods and services to ensure and maintain the accessibility of their websites. For example, the Standards could mandate that people must be able to navigate all public-sector websites using hardware and software programs that support accessibility. Likewise, websites could provide for communication in Sign language, and in other ways. Furthermore, the Standards could require that any website-authoring or development tools organizations procure must comply with Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG).
Moreover, the Standards could require organizations to certify their website accessibility through qualified third-party evaluation services, such as:
- The United States Access Board Trusted Tester Program
- College or university programs for inclusive design or accessibility
- Organizations like the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
In addition, the Standards could require organizations to verify that they comply with technical and software criteria. Some of this verification could be automated. However, other verification should be manual. For example, organizations could employ people with disabilities to test how functional and useable their websites are.