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Jira Technology Accommodations

This page summarizes accessibility support and accommodation considerations for Jira in the capstone course. The sections below are also organized so the same information can be reused for university accessibility review questions when needed.

Product/Service Information​

1. Name of Product or Service​

Jira

2. Description and Usage​

Jira is an Agile project management platform used in the course for backlog management, sprint planning, issue tracking, assignment of work, bug reporting, and progress monitoring. Students use Jira to practice industry-standard software engineering workflows without changing the course learning objectives.

3. Product/Service Website​

4. How many individuals will use this product/service?​

More than 100 individuals in a semester. Capstone sections usually enroll about 20 to 25 students each, and there are typically 5 to 6 sections in a semester, which places expected usage above 100 users before including instructors and teaching assistants.

5. How many individuals will be required to use this product/service for coursework or job function?​

More than 100 individuals are required to use Jira for coursework or instructional support in a semester. Capstone sections usually enroll about 20 to 25 students each, and there are typically 5 to 6 sections in a semester, which places required usage above 100 users before including instructors and teaching assistants.

6. Intended Audience​

Students and employees.

7. Contract Expiration Date​

If Jira is provided through an institutional agreement, the requestor should supply the applicable contract date. If there is no multi-year contract tied to this request, this field may be left blank.

8. Are you submitting this request for yourself or on behalf of someone else?​

This is requestor-specific and should be completed by the instructor, staff member, or administrator submitting the form.

Exception Request Details​

9. Have you compared this product or service to others?​

Yes.

10. Researched Alternatives and Why They Are Not Acceptable Replacements​

  • Broadcom Rally: A legacy enterprise Agile platform with declining adoption, higher administrative overhead, and a steeper learning curve than Jira for small student teams.
  • GitHub Projects: Useful for lightweight issue tracking, but it does not provide the same depth of Scrum workflows, sprint planning, backlog tooling, or instructor-facing project analytics used in the course.
  • Trello: Easy to learn, but it is better suited to lightweight Kanban workflows than the structured Agile project management practices students are expected to learn.

11. Reasonable Accommodations​

The use of Jira does not change the learning objectives of the course. Reasonable accommodations may include:

  • Blind/Low Vision: Use screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver; allow browser zoom and high-contrast settings; provide accessible written instructions; and provide text descriptions when visual dashboards or diagrams are discussed.
  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Provide captions or transcripts for any training videos and ensure project communication can occur through written channels such as Jira comments, email, Canvas, or team chat.
  • Keyboard-Only Users: Support keyboard navigation and documented keyboard workflows where possible through Jira and the web browser.
  • Speech-to-Text Users: Allow the use of speech recognition software to create and edit issues, comments, and related documentation.
  • Students with Limited or No Speech: Permit participation through written communication, documentation, Jira comments, email, and chat rather than requiring verbal participation.
  • Color Blindness: Do not rely solely on color-coded statuses or labels; use text labels, issue titles, and written status descriptions.
  • Cognitive or Learning Disabilities: Provide structured templates, checklists, consistent workflows, written instructions, and additional time where appropriate.
  • Motor Disabilities: Permit assistive input devices such as adaptive keyboards, switch devices, eye-tracking tools, or other browser-compatible assistive technologies.

12. Does the vendor have accessibility documentation?​

Yes.

13. Accessibility Documentation to Attach​

14. Notes​

Atlassian publishes accessibility resources and VPAT materials for Jira products. Jira is widely used in industry, and the course uses it to teach Agile planning and issue management practices that students are expected to encounter in professional software development.