There has been a lot of advancement in this field over the past decade. Solutions for technology accessibility exist, and resources to support the development of procurement requirements for buying and/or building accessible ICT exist. To get the fastest introduction to this area, we suggest:
1. Watch a video introduction to the European Standard on public procurement accessibility (even if you’re not based in Europe). The introductory video gives you a broad overview of the topic in less than 10 minutes. This video is the first in a series of training videos on the European Standard.
2. “It all starts with policy”. Read the Guide to Adopting an ICT Accessibility Procurement Policy from G3ict. This short, concise guide was written as part of the Smart Cities for All project, but the content applies very broadly for any group that is interested in implementing ICT accessibility in any public procurement policy project.
3. Policy works when there are Standards to reference in procurement documentation. Read the Guide to Implementing Priority ICT Accessibility Standards: Critical Technical Specifications to Support Digital Inclusion. This guide introduces the background of the Standards and why officials involved with (or responsible for) ICT accessibility need to know about them.
Next Pathway: I need to implement standards for procurement…