Public procurement and ICT accessibility

Government purchasing of ICT products and services is termed public procurement. Including accessibility criteria in the procurement process may improve employment opportunities in government for people with disabilities and could have flow-on effects for increased accessibility of products in the marketplace. This paper outlines a research project investigating the current status of legislation, regulation and policy of ICT accessibility criteria in public procurement in OECD countries. The research finds that voluntary government schemes were not successful. Mandatory processes based on uniform global standards coupled with compliance will have an impact.