Accessibility risk is a way to measure the expected impact of an accessibility barrier in a given digital application, product, or resource.
Higher risk means that a barrier would be expected to more negatively impact more people. Lower risk means that a barrier would be expected to less negatively impact fewer people.
Estimating accessibility risk helps us figure out how to make the greatest impact in digital accessibility. It is important to estimate risk of digital resources including websites, web-delivered content, course materials, media, eText, applications, software, mobile apps, and digital signage:
- When you purchase, contract, or adopt digital resources
- If you are requesting an expert accessibility review
- To prioritize a list or inventory of IT products in your unit in order to plan next steps
The actions you take to ensure you meet the requirements of the EIT Accessibility SPG will depend on the risk the IT represents.
Questionnaire and Scoring
Answer the questions below and add up the score.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of users? | Less than 10% of unit | From 10% to 20% | From 20% to 40% | More than 40% or public facing |
| Used by students? | No | Yes, but not required | Yes, not required, but recommended, or significantly enhances or improves student experience | Yes, required |
| Is it essential for job/study function? | No | No, but recommended or provides high degree of benefit or efficiency | No, but highly recommended | Yes, essential |
| What is the lifecycle of this IT? | Less than a year | 1-2 years | 3-5 years | More than 5 years |
| How many people are in the adopting unit? | 1-10 | 10-100 | 100-500 | More than 500 |
Calculate Risk and Take Action
Calculate the total to determine risk.
| Score | Risk |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | Low |
| 6-10 | Medium |
| 11-15 | High |
Note: Regardless of your score, any system about which you have received an accessibility complaint has a de-facto high risk.
For purchases, adoptions and contracting:
- Follow the Accessible Procurement Process steps according to risk level