Purchasing

The University of Cincinnati’s Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility policy requires that EIT resources and content are designed, procured, developed, implemented and managed in a way to be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Increasing the accessibility of our virtual and electronic landscape is a university-wide effort. These principles are provided to our faculty and our staff who impact our electronic environment by selecting, purchasing or maintaining software, systems and tools for use at the university. By adhering to them, we can all do our part in supporting equal access.

Operating Principles for Accessible Software and Applications

  1. Third party resources are procured and implemented in a way to be accessible to individuals with disabilities
  2. Accessibility is a criterion/ meaningful factor when selecting products
  3. Vendors are asked to provide a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report in the early stages of considering to purchase or use a product
  4. An internal accessibility review is requested by a product’s purchaser as early as possible
  5. Buying offices work with Accessibility Network consultants to create a plan for access prior to implementation when mission-critical software or a purchased product does not meet accessibility standards and there are no accessible alternatives
  6. Accessibility is part of the implementation process to ensure that accessibility features and functions are optimized.