OP 52.05: Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility

[Major revision–posted 4/23/26 (replaces 5/13/25 edition)]
[PDF Version]

Texas Tech University Double T

Operating Policy and Procedure

OP 52.05: Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility

DATE: April 23, 2026

PURPOSE: The purpose of this Operating Policy/Procedure (OP) is to establish rules for the procurement, development, maintenance, and use of electronic and information resources that will be accessible to persons with disabilities.

REVIEW: This OP will be reviewed every two years after publication by the IT Accessibility Coordinator, the Digital Accessibility Officer, the Assistant Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, the Vice President for Marketing & Communications, and the Office of General Counsel with substantive revisions forwarded to the TTU Chief Information Officer (CIO).

POLICY/PROCEDURE

1. Electronic and information resources (EIR) includes information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, duplication, storage, or delivery of data or information.*

2. All EIR products developed, procured, or changed through a procured services contract, and all EIR services provided through hosted or managed services contracts, shall comply with the provisions of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II; Chapter 206, State Websites; and Chapter 213, Electronic and Information Resources, of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), as applicable, unless such requirement causes an undue burden or results in a fundamental alteration to an instructional, research, operational, or administrative program and is given an exception by the Digital Accessibility Executive Committee, or an exemption is granted by the State of Texas. The Digital Accessibility Executive Committee has been delegated the authority to grant exceptions by the President.†

3. Required accessibility compliance is divided into three areas:

a. Electronic and information resources

(1) Software applications and operating systems;

(2) Telecommunications products;

(3) Video and multimedia products;

(4) Hardware;

(5) Functional performance criteria; and

(6) Support documentation and services.

The specific technical standards for each of the above categories of EIR are documented at TAC § 213, Electronic and Information Resources.

b. Procurement

(1) Before any purchases of EIR can be approved, vendors, regardless of originating state, must certify that their products comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA, TAC § 206, State Websites, and § 213, Electronic and Information Resources, as applicable, and provide credible evidence of the vendor’s capability or ability to produce accessible EIR products and services for every product under consideration using one of the following methods. Per TAC § 213.38, if credible accessibility documentation cannot be provided, then the EIR shall be considered noncompliant.

(a) Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) or Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR);

(b) Other documents that provide credible evidence of the vendor’s capability or ability to produce accessible EIR products and services; or

(2) The Digital Accessibility Office is available to assist departments and areas in determining the degree of accessibility of a given product.

(3) Departments shall coordinate purchases of EIR with Procurement Services and the Digital Accessibility group to ensure compliance with the Department of Justice, Texas Administrative Code, and this policy. Procurement Services shall not approve EIR purchases that do not meet accessibility requirements without an approved exception in accordance with this OP. Per TAC § 213.41, purchases that do not meet the EIR accessibility requirements must have a plan for corrective actions to remediate noncompliant items. EIRs submitted in TechBuy must require the Intended Use of Technology (IUT) form for review. EIRs are not permitted on the PCard unless the department prepares the PCard exception form, which includes the information required on the IUT form.

(4) All purchases must follow the established TTU OPs for procurement, including OP 72.09, Procurement of Goods and Services.

c. Websites

(1) Per Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II and TAC § 206, State Websites, all university public entry points must be accessible.

(a) Specific TTU website design guidelines are published on the Websites at Texas Tech website.

(b) Specific accessibility requirements for the websites (per TAC § 206) are documented at TAC § 206, State Websites.

(2) Key public entry points are web pages that an institution of higher education has specifically designed for the public to access official information. The designated TTU key public entry point is the Texas Tech University System home page.

4. Under the provisions of TAC § 213, Electronic and Information Resources, an IT Accessibility Coordinator must be appointed for the university; per OP 52.01, Information Technology (IT) Operations, the TTU CIO has designated the Senior Administrator – IT Business Operations as the TTU IT Accessibility Coordinator.

5. The TTU CIO has final authority on all TTU technology issues, including exceptions to existing IT policies.

6. Right to Change Policy

Texas Tech University reserves the right to interpret, change, modify, amend, or rescind this policy, in whole or in part, at any time without the consent of employees or students.

* Defined by Texas Administrative Code § 213.1(9)

† Mandated by Texas Administrative Code § 213.37

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OP 52.05: Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility

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