[Ucrfacultyandstaff] Week 2 Challenge: The UCR Digital Deep Clean

Fri Feb 20 12:34:35 PST 2026

[image: UC Riverside logo]
The UCR Digital Deep Clean

[image: Guest room in a house]
Week Two:
The Guest Room

It's week two of the digital deep-cleaning challenge. When it comes to
tidying up your home, nothing is a better motivator than knowing you have
guests coming over!

This week, we’re heading into the "Guest Room" to audit our third-party
tools. At UCR, we often use external plugins, applications, or software to
enhance our work and teaching. However, under the updated ADA standards
<https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/>, we are responsible
for ensuring these "guests" meet UCR’s Accessibility Standards.
Week Two Guidance

[image: People reviewing a contract]
Why Should I Review My Third-Party Tools?

When we invite an external tool into our digital environment, we are
responsible for the experience it provides to our community. If a student
or colleague with a disability cannot use a third-party tool we’ve assigned
or added via external plugin, it creates a barrier to their success and a
compliance risk for the university.

If a third-party has contracted with UCR or UCOP, then the accessibility of
their tool has been checked. However, many third-party tools do not have
contracts.

Some examples of commonly used third-party tools that do not have contracts
include:

   -

   Interactive engagement: Mentimeter, Kahoot, Slido, Padlet, etc.
   -

   Event and RSVP management: Eventbrite, Calendly, Doodle, etc.
   -

   External labs and simulations: Labster, PhET, etc.
   -

   Marketing and communication: Discord, Linktree, etc.
   -

   Project management: Trello, Miro, etc.
   -

   Website plugins: social media widgets, etc.

If you use one of the above tools, or any other tool without a formal
contract through UCR or UCOP, you should check to confirm the tool meets
the Accessibility Standards.

Pro Tip: If a tool has been made available to you by ITS or XCITE, then its
accessibility has been checked!
[image: Person typing on a laptop]
The Challenge

This week we're asking you to:

   -

   Identify: List any third-party tools or plugins you or your team use for
   work, teaching, or research.
   -

   Investigate: Determine if the third-party tool is under contract with
   UCR or UCOP by checking the ITS catalog
   <https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=sc_category&catalog_id=-1>,
   academic technologies webpage
   <https://teaching.ucr.edu/academic-technologies>, or approved Canvas
   tools webpage <https://canvas.ucr.edu/LTI-apps>. If it is, great! If
   not, look for the third-party's accessibility statement. This can typically
   be found on their website or in the procurement contract.
   -

   Ask: If you cannot find their statement, reach out to your vendor
   contact and ask: "Where can I find your accessibility statement?" and "Does
   your tool meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance standards?"
   -

   Consult: If you've taken the above steps and you're still not sure if a
   tool is "third-party" or if it’s compliant, request a consultation with
   ITS <https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=ucr_guest_ticket>.

In Practice

Here's a real UCR use case:

"In thinking about digital accessibility and the role third-party tools
play, I thought about my use of Mentimeter in my class. I found their
accessibility statement on their website (
https://www.mentimeter.com/accessibility). My follow up question for them
will be whether they are specifically aligned to WCAG 2.1 AA."

Beth Claassen Thrush
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects
and Assistant Adjunct Professor in the School of Education
Faculty Focus

You might use third-party tools to make learning more interactive. The
XCITE website has resources to help you understand which academic
technologies are supported by UCR and already meet the Accessibility
Standards.
View Approved Third-Party Tools for Canvas <https://canvas.ucr.edu/LTI-apps>
View UCR's Academic Technologies
<https://teaching.ucr.edu/academic-technologies>
Contact XCITE for a Consultation <https://teaching.ucr.edu/contact-us>

Website Wranglers
Request Campus Web Solutions Support
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal/?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=5b1a21491b52b340f57543f8cd4bcbd9>
Training Resources for Website Managers
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal/?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=5b1a21491b52b340f57543f8cd4bcbd9>

If you manage a UCR website, remember that every "extra" counts. This
includes social media widgets and form builders.

Audit your website(s) for third-party plugins. Contact the vendor to obtain
a copy of their accessibility statement or Voluntary Product Accessibility
Template (VPAT). Remove plugins that do not meet the Accessibility
Standards.
Training Resources

Knowledge is the best tool in your kit. The "Accessibility for Everyone"
course is now available in the UC Learning Center
<https://uc.sumtotal.host/core/pillarRedirect?relyingParty=LM&url=app%2Fmanagement%2FLMS_ActDetails.aspx%3FActivityId%3D761149%26UserMode%3D0>.
This foundational course is designed for all staff and faculty—we highly
encourage everyone to take it this week!
Take the "Accessibility for Everyone" Course
<https://uc.sumtotal.host/core/pillarRedirect?relyingParty=LM&url=app%2Fmanagement%2FLMS_ActDetails.aspx%3FActivityId%3D761149%26UserMode%3D0>

Did You Miss Week One or Want to Get Ahead?

You can find all of the accessibility guidance and resources provided as
part of the Digital Deep Clean challenge on the Digital Accessibility
webpage!
Visit the Digital Accessibility Webpage to Learn More
<https://accessibility.ucr.edu/digital-accessibility>

Access barrier? Report digital accessibility issues or request remediation
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=ucr_accessibility_form_login>
of inaccessible digital content.

University of California, Riverside

900 University Ave.

Riverside, CA 92521

951-827-1012 | ucr.edu <https://www.ucr.edu/>
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