Accessible EdTech
State and local education agencies consider many factors when selecting digital learning tools and platforms. Alongside priorities like data privacy, cybersecurity, interoperability, integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and alignment with instructional goals, it is essential to ensure technology can be used by students with and without disabilities. Accessibility is sometimes overlooked or misunderstood, yet Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public education agencies to provide digital content and tools that meet minimum accessibility standards.
When accessibility is built into decision-making from the start, whether evaluating an edtech platform, reviewing a digital curriculum, or adopting a new app, students with disabilities are more likely to access the same information, engage in the same interactions, and participate in the same digital instruction as students without disabilities.
The resources on this page offer practical guidance for identifying, evaluating, and improving accessibility in the procurement of digital educational materials and technologies. This includes strategies for embedding accessibility into existing review processes and tools, as well as approaches for verifying accessibility claims and collaborating effectively with vendors and developers.
Including Accessibility in All Components of Procurement: A Guide for State Educational Agencies and School Districts
This guide helps state and local procurement teams understand accessibility requirements and considerations throughout the process of purchasing digital educational materials and technology. Representatives from general education, special education, and technology, as well as other staff in state and local educational agencies, will find this information important to their roles and responsibilities.
Including Accessibility in Your EdTech Decisions
Watch the recorded webinar where presenters explain how to incorporate accessibility criteria into common procurement elements like requests for proposals (RFPs), scoring matrices, and contract language. Additional components of procurement are introduced, including vendor documentation and demonstrations, which can enhance an educational agency’s understanding of the vendor’s commitment to accessibility as well as demonstrate accessibility conformance.
Making VPAT®s and ACRs More Effective in Procurement
This resource from NCADEMI’s partner, WebAIM, presents best practices for using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® and Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) in purchasing decisions.