VPATs & ACRs

Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) are a template created by the Information Technology Industry Council to help consumers and vendors communicate about the accessibility of information technology. The completed reports created using the VPAT are called Accessibility Conformance Reports, ACRs, or very often, VPATs.

The VPAT is the most popular way for vendors to communicate the accessibility of their product to consumers. VPATs are voluntary and are not legally required. We still see some vendors who do not provide them or do not know how to write an ACR using the VPAT.

Reading a VPAT

When communicating with a vendor about accessibility, ask for a VPAT or ACR if one isn't offered to you. That's just the start, though. Once you have the ACR in your hands, you'll want to consider several things.

  1. What does this ACR cover?

It's not uncommon to have several ACRs for different components of a product (say web and mobile). If the ACR doesn't cover everything you're looking at licensing, ask for more.

  1. Is the ACR up to date?

Products can change fairly quickly. Make sure the ACR is for the major version of the product you're looking to acquire. If the product is a software as a service or a native app, the VPAT shouldn't be more than 4-6 months old.

  1. Which edition of the VPAT did the vendor use?

You also want to be aware of the edition of the VPAT the vendor has given you. There are four-

  • WCAG, which includes only WCAG 2.1 criteria
  • 508, which includes WCAG 2.0 and Section 508 criteria
  • EU, which includes WCAG 2.1 and EN 301 549 (the European Accessibility Legislation)
  • and INT (International), which includes WCAG 2.1, Section 508, and EN 301 549.
  1. Which VPAT Version was used?

Then, look at the VPAT's version. The most current version is 2.4.

  • The the WCAG edition, versions 2.2 and below only include WCAG 2.0, not 2.1.
  • For the 508 edition, the criteria is the same in all versions.
  • The International and EU are updated more regularly, and only 2.4 has the most up to date criteria.
  1. Look for Evaluation Methods

Next, look in the Evaluation Methods Used and Notes sections for information about the accessibility testing performed. Testing may be performed in house or by an outside accessibility testing company. Look for if testing included users with disabilities.

  1. What type of testing was done?

Automated testing is very likely to be included. However, this testing will find roughly 25-29% of violations. Manual testing can include keyboard testing with or without a mouse. Assistive technology includes screen readers, screen magnifiers, voice recognition software, switch devices and more. Some of these may be named by software name.

Things to Look for

Signs for concern

If the following are true, it doesn't necessarily mean the ACR or the described product are bad, but it should be an area to follow up with additional questions.

  • Only automated testing performed
  • No violations found
  • Language used other than supports, partially supports, does not support or not applicable (used sparingly) used
  • “Not Applicable” or NA used a lot
  • No comments or comments are vague/sparse
  • Instructions from the VPAT included in the ACR.

Some good signs

  • Manual and Assistive tech testing done by third party
  • Every criteria includes detailed comments

Testing

You can test the ACR. Choose something you feel comfortable checking, and test the product for that specific thing, then compare your results to the ACR. Here are some ideas:

  • Is there movement? Does it stop within 5 seconds or can you pause it? Check 2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide
  • If you submit a form with an error, is the error described well? Check 3.1 Error Identification
  • Are there skip links? Check 4.1 Bypass Blocks
  • Can you use your keyboard to navigate the page? Check 2.1.1 Keyboard

If the product fails a test but this is not recorded in the ACR, the ACR is not accurate.

Striving for Perfection

Products aren't perfect and we don't need an ACR or a product to be entirely free of accessibility barriers for it to be valuable for our users. It is important to consider what our community needs, how the products we consider compare, and what work-arounds for these areas look like.

Use the ACR to start a conversation:

  • Are the issues identified on a roadmap for revision?
  • What follow up questions do you have?
  • What would it take for us to provide alternate access to a student?

References and Resources

AccessibilityOz. “How to Read a VPAT,” September 11, 2019.

Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). VPAT Training Module Playlist. March 1, 2021.

Terrill Thompson for Washington SBCTC. How to Read a VPAT Webinar, October 13 2021, 2021. Slides.