Document Type
Presentation
Publication Date
2-22-2023
Abstract
Trying to make your online resources more accessible but aren't sure where the vendor's interface might cause problems? Do you collect Accessibility Compliance Reports (sometimes referred to as a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT) and file it away without doing anything with the information contained within? Find out how the Online Resources and Services Librarian at the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences Library Resources has partnered with UND’s Equity Compliance and Education Manager to take accessibility compliance to the next level. We’ve augmented the basic University requirement to check a box into a more comprehensive process that ensures we’re proactively attending to our users’ current and future needs. We work internally and with vendors to identify and track the potential failing points of our online resources as identified in their ACR. We then, prior to purchase approval or renewal, develop a plan to mitigate the accessibility barriers within the platform and provide equally effective alternative access to the material. Once the resource is made available within our ILS, we inform users of known accessibility barriers and make sure they know how to contact us with questions or for assistance. In this lightning talk, we’ll discuss going beyond basic internal requirements to establish more rigorous measures that better meets users where they are and before they know they need help. You’ll discover how to identify and track potential problems, how to communicate to your users regarding accessibility concerns, and how to maintain contact with your vendors and publishers to advocate for your users.
Recommended Citation
Jessica D. Gilbert Redman and M. Beth Valentine. "Ready, set, oh no? Prepare for possible online accessibility issues before they arise" (2023). Librarian Publications. 6.
https://commons.und.edu/smhs-lp/6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Comments
Presented at the 2023 North American Online Virtual Reference Conference on February 22, 2023.