RE: Directory of accessible websites/ apps

I do not know of any "good centralized repository" of the accessibility 
conformance of Web sites and web apps, products, and/or software as a 
service offerings.  There have been a couple service providers that scan 
public web sites (not apps) and try to provide conformance results, some 
private, some public.  However, Section 508.gov (see
https://section508.gov/content/VARC) tries to maintain a list of vendors 
and links to where they provide accessibility conformance reports on their 
offerings.  Even the W3C Authoring Tools (a specific subset of 
apps/products) working group had/has a difficult time maintaining a list 
of authoring tools that conform to the ATAG spec (see 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/AU/2002/tools ). 

Although it appears simple on the surface, there are a lot of questions 
about the validity (which standard), how current is the information, and 
usefulness of a single repository if one were to be created. It would need 
to be "updated" as frequently as the owner/vendor updates their offerings 
and the conformance of their offering.  Software and Web "continuous 
delivery" practices have challenged the notion of a stable conformance 
report. 

As listed in Section508.gov and other places, to request an IBM product 
Accessibility Conformance Report (in VPAT® 2.0 format) simply go to 
able.ibm.com/request.
Other companies have similar request pages.  As far as I know, IBM was the 
first to publish reports in ITI's new VPAT® 2.0 format back on October 4, 
2017. 

Please note that IBM and other vendors provide the 'Accessibility 
Conformance Report' in the Information Technology Industry Council's (ITI) 
VPAT® 2.0 format which covers (e.g. includes all three) all the following: 

WCAG 2.0 Level A and Level AA, 
U.S. Section 508 Revised Standards, and 
European's EU 301 549 standards. 

See more about ITI at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility 
___________
Regards,
Phill Jenkins
Check out the new system for requesting an IBM product Accessibility 
Conformance Report VPAT® at  able.ibm.com/request
pjenkins@us.ibm.com
Senior Engineer & Accessibility Executive
IBM Research Accessibility
linkedin.com/in/philljenkins/
ibm.com/able
facebook.com/IBMAccessibility
twitter.com/IBMAccess
ageandability.com



From:   Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>
To:     w3c-wai-ig <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Date:   01/15/2018 10:43 AM
Subject:        RE: Directory of accessible websites/ apps



US vendors should have VPATs for their products. These should be granular 
enough that you can see how the level of accessibility varies across the 
application. Since not everyone needs to use every feature in a product, I 
think it is necessary to consider each product in this way rather than 
looking at a simple overall rating.

However, I don't know of any centralised repository of such information.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd


-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Pyatt [mailto:ejp10@psu.edu] 
Sent: 15 January 2018 16:23
To: Ash Ta <duc.ta.740@gmail.com>
Cc: Adi Latif <adi.latif@abilitynet.org.uk>; w3c-wai-ig 
<w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: Re: Directory of accessible websites/ apps

This is a common request I also hear in the higher education sector, but 
there are a few caveats to consider.

1. If a report of a product is found, I would recommend checking the date 
of the report. 

Some products are updated so quickly that results are often out of date. 
For instance, our LMS releases updates about every three weeks. 
Fortunately, they are pretty good at sending a list to the schools so they 
know about them and can test major feature changes.

2. Often reports made at an institution may need to be locked down due to 
confidentiality agreements. Still, there may be information available on a 
Google search or through accessibility lists.

3. I do believe many vendors are beginning to understand the need for 
accessible products, especially if they are in the higher education or 
government markets. Some larger vendors may now have an accessibility unit 
that you can consult with. However, the sales unit may or may not always 
be familiar with that part of the company.

Hope this helps.

Elizabeth


> On Jan 15, 2018, at 11:09 AM, Ash Ta <duc.ta.740@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Interesting to know this too. I want to have a hub where people can find 
shared accessibility reports for all vendors.
> 
> 
> 
> Best,
> Duc Ta
> 
> On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 7:15 AM, Adi Latif <adi.latif@abilitynet.org.uk> 
wrote:
> Hello All,
> 
> 
> 
> Apologise if this has been asked before.
> 
> 
> 
> Is there a directory which lists and ranks different service providers 
on how accessible their service is
> 
> ?
> 
> 
> 
> For example if I wanted to try source an accessible employee engagement 
tool for my organisation or if I was looking for an accessible flight 
booking website or if I wanted to know what is more accessible Slack or 
Microsoft Teams it could tell me?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> 
> Warmest
> 
> 
> 
> Adi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> 
> 
> 
> Adi Latif
> 
> Accessibility & Usability Consultant | AbilityNet | 
www.abilitynet.org.uk
> 
> 
> 
> T: +44 (0)203 714 8237
> 
> 25 Worship Street, London, EC2A 2DX
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
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www.facebook.com/abilitynet | Support us online:  
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> ----------------------------
> Duc Ta
> IT Consultant
> Tel:   (323) 412-4894
> www.dtaconsulting.org

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Elizabeth J. Pyatt, Ph.D.
Accessibility IT Consultant
Teaching and Learning with Technology
Penn State University
ejp10@psu.edu, (814) 865-0805 or (814) 865-2030 (Main Office)

The 300 Building, 112
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