VPAT is used by buyers to identify how accessible the product is, as well as any potential weaknesses. A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a document that describes how accessible a product is in accordance with the Section 508 standards.
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, which is a documented model created by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC) for reporting to stakeholders-generally, agencies within the US federal government-the extent to which a software product is compliant. VPAT was initially developed as a tool for vendors to document compliance with Section 508 and facilitate market studies of government IT products that have accessibility features.
VPAT Report
ITI created four different editions of the VPAT, enabling ICT manufacturers and vendors to create Accessibility Conformance Reports focused on the standards relevant to specific markets and contract requirements:
- VPAT 2.4 Rev 508: Revised Section 508 standards – the U.S. Federal accessibility standard
- VPAT 2.4 Rev EU: EN 301 549 – the European Union’s “Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe”
- VPAT 2.4 Rev WCAG: WCAG 2.1 or ISO/IEC 40500 (equivalent to WCAG 2.0) and WCAG2.1, W3C/WAI’s recently updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- VPAT 2.4 INT: Incorporates all three of the above standards
How to Prepare the VPAT 2.4 Report
Report Title
In the heading format of “[Company Name] Accessibility Conformance Report”
VPAT Heading Information
Template version
Name of Product/Version
Name of Product being reported, including product version identifier if necessary
Report Date
Date of report publication. At a minimum, provide the month and year of the report publication. For example, “Aug 2022”. If date is included, ensure it is clear “02 Aug 2022” or “Aug 02, 2022”.
Product Description
A brief description of the product
Contact Information
Contact Information for follow-up questions. Listing an email is sufficient.
Notes
Any details or further explanation about the product or the report. This section may be left blank.
Evaluation Methods Used
Include a description of evaluation methods used to complete the VPAT for the product under test.
Applicable Standards / Guidelines
A clear indication of which Standards/Guidelines this Conformance Report covers.
- The list must include only the Standards/Guidelines used to evaluate the product.
- The applicable Standards/Guidelines that are included in this edition of the VPAT template are:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 or WCAG 2.0 (ISO/IEC 40500)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 or WCAG 2.1
- If other Standards/Guidelines are reported then use the appropriate VPAT edition.
Terms
The report must list the definition of the terms used in the Conformance Level column. ITI recommends the following terms. If a vendor deviates from the ITI definitions, the vendor shall reference this change in the heading Notes section. If a term is not used it can be removed from the list. The ITI definitions are:
- Supports: The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.
- Partially Supports: Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.
- Does Not Support: The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.
- Not Applicable: The criterion is not relevant to the product.
- Not Evaluated: The product has not been evaluated against the criterion. This can only be used in WCAG 2.x Level AAA.
Tables for Each Standard or Guideline
Tables showing the responses to the criteria.
How Enabled.in helps your VPAT Report Preparation
Enabled.in’s accessibility services take care of all kinds of compliance issues for you. From the backend through the frontend, making sure that your site is fully compliant with ADA 508 and WCAG is our standard.
With Enabled.in accessibility testing framework, website owners can effortlessly reach compliance with WCAG 2.2, ADA 508, ATAG 2.0, EN 301-549 and Section 508 regulations, as required by any governmental and regulatory bodies.
We strive to include Individuals with Disabilities in the accessibility testing process and VPAT Report. As a result, we are able to deliver future-proof mobile app accessibility solutions.
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