Accessibility features listed on a vendor website are not enough. A procurement review should test whether people can complete real tasks with the versions and assistive technologies they actually use.
Define essential tasks
Choose login, text entry, file upload, playback, correction, consent, export and human escalation tasks. Mark steps whose failure would exclude a user or create a safety risk. Avoid scoring decorative interface features more heavily than core task completion.
Test more than one interaction mode
Check keyboard-only navigation, focus order, visible focus, screen-reader labels, zoom, high contrast, text alternatives and captions. For voice AI, include text fallback and ability to correct recognition before action. WCAG 2.2 provides structured accessibility criteria; conformance claims must state scope and test methodology.
Include representative participants
Combine expert accessibility inspection, automated checks and consented testing with users of relevant assistive technologies. Machine-generated captions should be checked for meaningful errors, speaker attribution and timing. Record device and browser combinations and remediation severity.
Write contractual acceptance gates
Request an up-to-date accessibility conformance report with product build identifiers, known exceptions, remediation timelines and a way to report regressions. Distinguish a voluntarily claimed standard from binding local procurement requirements. Revalidate after major interface or model updates.
Example
A university tests an AI lecture assistant with two screen readers, keyboard navigation and students who rely on live captions. The system fails to expose its microphone toggle and mislabels speakers. Procurement is conditioned on fixes and a measured retest; a marketing accessibility badge alone would not have revealed the failures.
Sources & Further Reading
- W3C WCAG 2.2 — World Wide Web Consortium.
- NIST AI RMF Core: govern map measure and manage — NIST.
Evidence checked 25 October 2026. Applicability: Global; binding regulations vary. This material is general education, not legal, medical, investment or other professional advice. No vendor performance test is implied.