Project summary

Objective

Any digital product (content, digital book, software hardware or services) procured or created by Department staff is designed to current WCAG and/or AS EN 301:549 standards to provide equal access of use for all their intended users, be they students, staff or community members.

Benefits

• Barriers to persons with a disability engaging with department digital products will be removed.
• The Department will achieve its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Discrimination Act(DDA), the Disability Standards for Education (DSE), Marrakesh Treaty and Australian Standard 301 549 (Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services) to provide equal access to information and services.
• Teachers will be more capable to meet their professional responsibilities under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers with reference to standards, 1.5, 1.6, 2.6, 3.4, 4.1 and 7.2.

What will success look like?

• Users with or without a disability will be able to seamlessly perceive, operate and understand digital products with or without the use of the inbuilt accessibility features/assistive technologies found on mainstream devices. Minimum compatibility: iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 11 or Windows 10 or above.

How will success be measured?

• WCAG accessibility audits of Department web content and services
• Confirmation that functional performance and accessibility requirements are mandatory components of all new ICT procurements.
• People Matter Employee Survey (PMES) results will be used to measure if staff feel their disability is a perceived barrier to success in their role and if staff feel confident in creating and maintaining an inclusive work environment.
• Tell them from Me survey results will be used to measure student and community feedback on their user experience.
• Increase in staff disclosing diversity information in relation to their disability, due to greater awareness and confidence in the support the Department provides

Key project milestones

Phase 1 – Due: November 2021

• Develop a formal Digital Accessibility Policy that articulates the Department’s requirement that any digital product (content, digital book, software hardware or services) it creates (including staff-created content) or procures must be designed to provide equal access of use for all their intended users, be they students, staff or community. This requirement supports our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Discrimination Act(DDA), the Disability Standards for Education (DSE), Marrakesh Treaty and Australian Standard 301 549 (Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services).
• Establish a cross division accessibility steering committee to drive and coordinate digital accessibility across the agency and within their divisional responsibility
• Develop a cross division communication plan to promote new policy and resources to build staff awareness and capacity in providing equal access to digital information and services.

Phase 2– Due: January 2022

• Implement cross division communication plan
• Identify opportunities to speak/ present at key stakeholder events. Such as PPA and SPC events,