If you have to fill out an HB21-1110 vendor questionnaire and it looks hard to fill out, we can help. We have all of the products and services you need to make your product or services WCAG 2.1 AA conformant and check the accessibility check box.
Below we’ve addressed some common questions you might see based on the HB21-1110 vendor accessibility checklist.
Here’s what’s happening:
Colorado state law HB21-1110 states that all digital content (web and mobile applications, media, webpages, software documents, etc.) for state and local governments must be accessible (WCAG 2.1 AA conformant).
Public entities are passing along versions of the vendor accessibility checklist as one of multiple ways of ensuring evidence of accessibility. Here’s the questions from the new vendor form and how we can help.
Question Answers
Question 1: Do you have an accurate Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)?
An ACR is your most critical piece of accessibility documentation – without one, you’re essentially disqualified from most procurement processes in 2025 (so there’s even value beyond HB21-1110). The question specifically asks for VPAT 2.5 WCAG (November 2023) or higher, which means you need current documentation using the latest template. We can conduct a comprehensive WCAG audit of your product and create an independently issued ACR using the appropriate VPAT template.
Our process includes manual testing with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and code inspection. The cost starts at $350 for completing the WCAG edition VPAT, plus the audit cost (usually $100 – $250 per unique page or screen). Most importantly, we offer a pause period after the audit so you can fix issues before we issue your final ACR, resulting in a cleaner document.
Question 2: What tools/methods were used to test and complete the ACR?
Our standard audit process includes screen reader testing, keyboard navigation testing, visual inspection, code inspection, browser zoom testing (200% and 400%), color contrast analysis, and automated scan as a secondary check. We document all methodologies in the “Evaluation Methods Used” section of your ACR, demonstrating the thoroughness of our evaluation. This comprehensive approach satisfies even the most stringent procurement requirements.
Question 3: Are your products/services WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant?
Your product very likely isn’t WCAG 2.1 AA conformant right now, but with our audit and remediation process, we can help you fix all issues and ultimately reach full conformance. Just look out for third-party integrations.
Question 4: What metrics are in place to track progress with your accessibility initiative?
Our Accessibility Tracker web app provides exactly what they’re looking for here: progress tracking with analytics and automatic monthly progress reports. Tracker allows you to upload audit results, prioritize issues using our risk or impact formulas, assign team members to specific issues, and generate monthly progress reports. These reports become part of your compliance documentation and provide demonstrable evidence of your efforts and accessibility.
Question 5: Can you provide accessibility test plans, test results, and corrective actions?
This question asks for documented evidence of your testing approach and results. Our audit reports serve as your test results, providing detailed documentation of every accessibility issue found, steps to reproduce each issue, associated WCAG success criteria, and specific remediation recommendations. We can also help you develop ongoing test plans for future product updates. If you’re using Accessibility Tracker, the platform maintains a complete history of all corrective actions taken, creating the systematic documentation that enables you to say yes to this question.
Question 6: What client platforms, operating systems, browsers, and assistive technologies were used as test environments?
Our standard desktop and mobile audit includes testing across multiple environments: Windows desktop and iOS mobile, Chrome and Safari browsers, and screen readers including NVDA, and VoiceOver. We document all testing environments in your audit report and ACR. For clients with specific environment requirements, we can expand testing to include additional combinations.
Question 7: Do you have a corrective actions process that includes accessibility issues and how are they prioritized?
Again, Accessibility Tracker is golden for product or service owner/operators. With Tracker, you can customize your own issue priority or use one of our two issue prioritization formulas (user impact or risk factor).
Question 8: At what points in your design and development process do you integrate accessibility criteria?
The best answer is “throughout the entire development lifecycle.” Our WCAG Course ($99 per license, with bulk discounts available) trains your entire team on accessibility requirements so they can integrate accessibility thinking from initial design through development, testing, and maintenance. The course covers all WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria with both video and text explanations, includes a comprehensive Excel spreadsheet with roles assigned for each criterion, and provides certificates of completion for documentation purposes.
Question 9: How do you keep up with legal requirements and laws regarding accessibility?
Subscribing to Kris Rivenburgh’s The ADA Book YouTube channel is a great way to keep track of new developments. Also, Seyfarth Shaw’s ADA Title III blog is helpful. Kris is the founder of Accessible.org
Question 10: What accessibility training courses and curriculums are required of your development/test resources?
Our WCAG Course provides exactly what you need – comprehensive training on all WCAG success criteria with certificates of completion. At $99 per single license (with volume discounts for group licenses licenses), it’s cost-effective for training entire teams. The WCAG Course includes lifetime access with no annual subscriptions.
Question 11: Is accessibility training or support updated on a regular basis for internal teams?
Our courses include lifetime access to all updates, ensuring your team stays current with evolving standards. We also offer consultation and ongoing technical support hours to help your team with specific accessibility questions as they arise.
Question 12: If your product is not compliant, do you have a committed plan or roadmap to achieving compliance?
Yes, and we can help you document that plan. Based on our audit results, we can help you create a realistic remediation roadmap with concrete deadlines. Our typical process involves audit completion in 1-2 weeks, followed by iterative remediation with validation at each step. Using Accessibility Tracker, you can also demonstrate measurable progress toward compliance goals.
Question 13: Do you work with third-party accessibility vendors to certify your product is compliant?
We can serve as your third-party accessibility vendor, providing professional audits, ACRs, conformance statements, and other documentation. Our independently issued documentation carries signficiantly more weight with procurement agents than self-completed assessments.
Question 14: Do you have an accessibility policy and are there initiatives in place throughout the organization?
We can help you write an accessibility policy. In fact, we have an entire blog post on how to write an accessibility policy and a sample policy template as well. If you’d like us to customize it for your organization, just ask.
Question 15: Do you have an accessibility team?
If you don’t have in-house accessibility experts, there’s no need to hire new staff, we can serve as your fractional accessibility team. We provide the technical expertise your development team needs while they focus on implementation. This hybrid approach often works better than trying to hire full-time accessibility specialists, especially for smaller organizations.
Question 16: Do you have team members trained in screen reader use, and do you utilize actual screen reader users in UX testing?
Our audit methodology includes comprehensive screen reader testing by certified accessibility experts. We can also provide user testing services conducted by professionals with disabilities who use assistive technology in their daily lives. These sessions include video recordings and documentation, providing tangible evidence that your product works for real users with disabilities.
Question 17: Can you provide a demonstration of the product by an actual JAWS user?
Yes, again, we can set up a recording with a professional user tester who is blind or visually impaired. We can record these sessions so you can fulfill this requirement.
Question 18: Do you have an accessibility statement of commitment?
We’ve got you covered. We have a blog post on how to write an accessibility statement along with a template that’s free to download.
Question 19: What governance model is in place to oversee accessibility standards?
Governance structures demonstrate that accessibility isn’t just a project but an ongoing organizational commitment. We can help you establish governance frameworks including accessibility coordinator roles, regular audit schedules, compliance monitoring procedures, and escalation processes for accessibility issues. This can be a part of your accessibility policy.
Question 20: Do you utilize an Accessibility Maturity Model to drive long-term accessibility initiatives?
While formal maturity models can be helpful, the key is demonstrating systematic approaches to accessibility improvement over time. We can help you establish maturity indicators including regular audit cycles, progressive WCAG conformance goals, expanding accessibility training programs, and integration of accessibility into development processes. Our quarterly audit services and ongoing training programs support maturity progression by ensuring continuous improvement rather than one-time compliance efforts.
Summary
These types of questionnaires are given to vendors to ensure their products and services stay accessible. Our products and services are completely aligned with the overriding objectives of the questions from the HB21-1110 vendor checklist.
Accessibility Tracker takes care of 5 questions by itself. If you’d like further help, we’d love to help — just send us a message and we’ll reply back very soon.
