Accessibility

At Assessment & Technology Solutions (ATS), a center within the Achievement and Assessment Institute (AAI) at the University of Kansas, our mission is to support public agencies in delivering services to their constituents through innovative technologies and solutions. Our Kite Suite software was built with accessibility at its core, and we continue to refine our practices to ensure inclusive access to all platform features.

ATS Comprehensive Accessibility Plan

Scope of Plan

This Accessibility Plan applies to all Kite Suite software products and services developed and maintained by AAI-ATS, including:

Web Applications:

Kite Content Portal (CP)
Kite Educator Portal (EP)
Kite Student Portal (SP)
Kite Scoring Portal (ScP)
Kite Collector
Kite Parent Portal (PP)

Cross-Platform Applications:

Kite Student Portal (SP)
Kite Collector
Kite Parent Portal (PP)

Documentation

Websites

Standards and Legal Compliance

AAI-ATS adheres to the following digital accessibility standards and regulations:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Accessibility in the Software Lifecycle

Accessibility is integrated into every phase of our software development lifecycle:

Design Phase: We select development frameworks and libraries that support accessible components and interfaces. Technical specifications include explicit accessibility guidance.
Review Phase: We conduct comprehensive system-wide accessibility reviews twice a year–during summer and winter cycles–to ensure recently implemented features align with WCAG 2.1AA.
Release Management: Accessibility issues discovered during testing or reported by users are reviewed, prioritized, and resolved during scheduled major or minor releases.

Testing Tools and Methodologies

To ensure our applications are accessible and compliant, we use a combination of automated and manual testing:

Automated Testing:
- Level Access AMP
- ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector)
Manual and Assistive Technology Testing:
- Keyboard navigation
- NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
- JAWS (Job Access With Speech) screen readers (Windows)

Oversight and Governance

Accessibility at AAI-ATS is overseen by a leadership team that includes:

ATS Director
Software Development Lead
QA Leads for each Kite Suite component

These individuals are responsible for ensuring accessibility is prioritized throughout all projects.

Training and Awareness

All employees involved in design, development, and testing receive accessibility training prior to our summer and winter system checks. This includes:

Government-provided accessibility training modules
Hands-on training with Level Access AMP and ANDI tools

Training ensures staff remain current with standards and best practices, fostering a culture of inclusion and responsibility.

User Feedback and Reporting Mechanisms

We value user feedback as a critical component of continuous improvement:

Accessibility concerns may be submitted via our fully-staffed customer support Help Desk.
General satisfaction surveys, which include open-ended feedback opportunities, are also reviewed for accessibility insights.

Reported issues are reviewed, logged, and addressed as part of our regular development cycle.

Issue Remediation and Tracking

Accessibility issues, whether discovered internally or reported by users, are documented and prioritized using project management tools. Issues are ranked based on severity and user impact, with resolution timelines aligned to our release schedule.

Continuous Improvement

AAI-ATS is committed to continual self-assessment and refinement of our accessibility practices. We routinely review and revise our procedures to ensure that they reflect current laws, technologies, and user expectations.

If you find an accessibility issue with one of our products, we invite you to contact the Help Desk at kite-support@ku.edu.