Colorado State University is committed to making our campus accessible. “Accessible” means that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can access our campus facilities, electronic and information technology, and educational opportunities fully, independently, and in a timely manner.
Accessible software and IT services benefit everyone and uphold our Principles of Community. Both internal or public use IT products and services should be accessible.

 

Resources and Support

Sample RFP/RFI Language for IT Accessibility


Accessibility

Provide certification and attestation documentation related to security and accessibility, including the Higher Education Vulnerability Assessment Tool (HECVAT Lite), version 3.02 or higher, and a current Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), referencing WCAG 2.1 standards or higher.

Contracts SHALL include the following provision:


X. Accessibility

Supplier shall comply with and the Work Product provided under this PO shall be in compliance with all applicable provisions of §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability, pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S. Supplier shall also comply with all State of Colorado technology standards related to technology accessibility and with Level AA of the most current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), incorporated in the State of Colorado technology standards.

Supplier shall indemnify, save, and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties against any and all costs, expenses, claims, damages, liabilities, court awards and other amounts (including attorneys’ fees and related costs) incurred by any of the Indemnified Parties in relation to Supplier’s failure to comply with §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., or the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S.

The University may require Supplier’s compliance to the University’s Accessibility Standards to be determined by a third party selected by the University to attest to Supplier’s Work Product and software is in compliance with §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S.”

Sample Contract Language for IT Accessibility

Contracts SHALL include the following provision:


Accessibility

Supplier shall comply with and the Work Product provided under this PO shall be in compliance with all applicable provisions of §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability, pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S. Supplier shall also comply with all State of Colorado technology standards related to technology accessibility and with Level AA of the most current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), incorporated in the State of Colorado technology standards.

Supplier shall indemnify, save, and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties against any and all costs, expenses, claims, damages, liabilities, court awards and other amounts (including attorneys’ fees and related costs) incurred by any of the Indemnified Parties in relation to Supplier’s failure to comply with §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., or the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S.

The University may require Supplier’s compliance to the University’s Accessibility Standards to be determined by a third party selected by the University to attest to Supplier’s Work Product and software is in compliance with §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility Standards for Individuals with a Disability pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S.”

Definitions

Adapted from the Colorado Office of Information Technology Procurement Toolkit. 

  • WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities and address accessibility of web content, including websites, applications, documents, etc., on desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. The State of Colorado and Colorado State University must follow the current release version of the WCAG guidelines at both levels A and AA. 
  • VPAT: A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is used to identify whether a product is WCAG compliant for every success criteria element of the guidelines. It uses a table structure that shows the linked success criteria, whether the product passes, partially passes, or fails each success criteria, and a notes column to incur details on what might be failing (or partially failing) and sometimes a timeline or details for when the issue will be fixed. 
  • HECVAT: The HECVAT is a questionnaire framework specifically designed for higher education to measure vendor risk. Before you purchase a third-party solution, ask the solution provider to complete a HECVAT tool to confirm that information, data, and cybersecurity policies are in place to protect your sensitive institutional information and constituents’ PII. The HECVAT tool combines IT security and IT accessibility concerns. 
  • HB 21-1110: House Bill 21-1110 requires all Colorado government entities to be compliant with OIT’s accessibility standards by July 1, 2024. The bill also states that a statutory fine not to exceed three thousand five hundred dollars would be payable to each plaintiff for each violation.  
  • SB 23-244: Senate Bill 23-244 allows OIT to promulgate or create rules around accessibility. These rules can include things that help clarify the original HB21-1110 statute. 
  • ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. Specifically, Title II of the ADA has a new notice of proposed rulemaking that directly ties the ADA to web and mobile communications.