Does accessible product = accessible vendor?

When evaluating how accessible a product is, I do not just look
at the product itself but at the whole sales lifecycle. It is not
much point having a wonderfully accessible product if the user
cannot find out about it or effectively use it. Also looking at the
whole cycle gives me a view as to how committed the company is to
the concepts of accessibility and usability and how much they are
just trying to get ticks in the right boxes.

So what are the various components of the sales lifecycle to
look at? Here is my list:

• Advertising: is the advertising in the places that the user
  will look and is it in a suitable format?
• Web information: is the product web site accessible (if so it
  is a good sign that the company take the issue seriously)? Is the
  format suitable for the intended user? I saw a bad example of a web
  site with products for the vision impaired, the main information
  source was a video not ideal for the target audience, but what was
  worse was the commentary was nearly drowned out by a drum and bass
  backing which made it difficult to understand.
• Web brochure-ware: very often the web site will have product
  brochures that can be downloaded, these are often in PDF format;
  this only works if they are accessible as well (see my article
  ‘Accessible PDF
  documents for the blind’ ).
• VPAT: does the web site give access to a VPAT (Voluntary
  Product Accessibility Template)? The VPAT should explain how
  accessible the product is. If it does not exist then I have a
  question mark over any claims of accessibility.
• Searching the web site: I try searching the product web site
  for terms like accessibility, usability, assistive technology,
  section 508, disability etc. The information returned often
  clarifies the commitment of the company.
• Purchase Requests: if I try and purchase the product can I do
  it in an accessible manner? See ‘A form fillers
  plea’.
• Installation and configuration: Can the product be installed
  and configured by the intended use without assistance? I was very
  nearly unable to install my iPod because I could not read the tiny
  white on silver serial number (see ‘iPod needs 20/20
  vision’ ). Not all screen readers have a vocalisation of the
  installation process see ‘What should a screen
  reader do’.
• On-line help and training: can the user easily access help and
  training when they need it? It is particularly important that the
  help and training is available when needed and in context. I was
  trying to learn how to use a screen reader and the only real
  training material was a Word document; I had to use the product to
  read the Word document whilst learning the short cut keys, I got
  some of the keys wrong and managed to trash the Word file!
• Classroom education: if classroom education is available it
  must be at an accessible site and should provide facilities for
  students with disabilities.
• The product: This is obviously the key criteria, is the product
  itself accessible, but if the answer appears to be yes then all the
  other criteria become important.
• The product outputs: in many cases the product will have some
  form of output. If it is a web development tool then the output is
  the web site, if it is an office product then it is a document
  etc., if it is a business package there could be invoices, reports,
  orders etc. All of these outputs should be accessible in their own
  right. The ability to produce accessible output varies greatly. The
  worst products make it impossible to create accessible output. Some
  products enforce the creation of accessible output, in some case
  this is a good thing whilst in others it may limit the power and
  flexibility of the output. Most product will enable you to produce
  accessible output but only if you understand how to and have the
  determination to do so. The best products actually help, guide and
  encourage you to do so.
• System management and monitoring: once a product is in
  production there is always some need to manage and monitor it. This
  should also be done in a way that is accessible.

I do not believe this list is unreasonable and I believe that if
product vendors would build accessibility into their ethos and into
the development process then none of these requirements would be a
major hurdle. Thinking through this whole process will improve the
quality of the product and the usability of it for all users.