Who are VPAT ACR industry experts?
VPAT ACR industry experts are individuals with extensive knowledge and ability regarding the voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) and how to use it in developing a successful Accessibility Conformance Report For Saas (ACR). Their knowledge and ability are based on extensive research and their experience in helping businesses and organizations obtain their VPAT certification.
Deepening accessibility so that people with disabilities get similar benefits from information and communication technology (ICT) products and services as do people without disabilities is a major goal that VPAT ACR industry experts strive for. To this end, they want buyers of ICT products and services to master how to carry out due diligence on products and services to ensure they purchase or procure only those that have the most accessible features.
VPAT ACR industry experts also want vendors and manufacturers of ICT products and services to be truthful in documenting the accessibility of their products and services using the VPAT form so as to enable buyers of those products and services to make informed purchasing choices.
Towards this end, VPAT ACR industry experts want both the buyers and vendors or manufacturers of ICT products and services to know what a VPAT and VPAT compliance are, what a VPAT ACR is, why there are different editions of the VPAT document, how to complete a VPAT form, what VPAT certification is and why it is important, and whether a VPAT ACR is required for websites and mobile applications, among others. In this article, we’ll provide brief explanations about these things.
What is a VPAT?
A VPAT is a self-disclosing document that was developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in collaboration with the U.S. federal procurement office (known as the General Services Administration (GSA)) to assist vendors and manufacturers of ICT products and services document the accessibility of their products and services in a standard format.
Without VPAT compliance, the U.S. federal government, its departments, and its agencies cannot publicly procure an ICT product or service. Organizations that are funded by the federal government will also not procure any ICT product or service that lacks VPAT certification. Besides the U.S. federal organizations, Europe and Australia are also governed by an accessibility standard determining the accessibility requirements for publicly procured ICT in those jurisdictions. Vendors and manufacturers are expected to use the appropriate edition of the VPAT template in demonstrating how their products or services conform to those standards.
Apart from being required in public procurement processes, the VPAT is now increasingly being required by large corporations and educational institutions when procuring their ICT products and services.
What is VPAT compliance?
“VPAT compliance,” also commonly referred to as “VPAT certification,” is a term used in reference to the use of the VPAT to do documentation about the accessibility of an ICT product or service. VPAT certification or compliance helps businesses or organizations demonstrate how their ICT products or services conform to the established accessibility standards and guidelines.
VPAT compliance entails choosing the correct edition of the VPAT form to use in carrying out VPAT certification. The market where you want your products or services to be available determines this.
There are four editions of the VPAT: the Section 508 VPAT, the European Union (EU) VPAT, the Web Accessibility For Saas Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 or 2.1 VPAT, and the International (INT) VPAT.
The WCAG VPAT comes in two different versions: the WCAG 2.0 VPAT and the WCAG 2.1 VPAT. Both are used to document the accessibility of websites and mobile applications. Always find out which version is acceptable in the market where you want your products or services to be accessible.
Section 508 VPAT is used to document the accessibility of ICT products and services procurable by US federal organizations and federally funded organizations. It is based on the Section 508 accessibility standard. The Section 508 VPAT contains the accessibility requirements in the WCAG 2.0 VPAT.
The UE VPAT is used to document the accessibility of products and services that are procurable in Australia and Europe. It is based on the EU’s EN 301 549 accessibility standard. The EU VPAT contains the accessibility requirements contained in the WCAG 2.1 VPAT.
The INT VPAT is the edition of the VPAT you should use if you want your products or services to be procurable globally. It incorporated the accessibility technical requirements and criteria contained in the three editions of the VPAT.
How to complete a VPAT form
Before you complete a VPAT form, you need to carry out a VPAT audit of the product or service you want to create the VPAR ACR for. This VPAT assessment examines all the key features of your product or service that will have a bearing on its accessibility to people with various kinds of disabilities.
You can perform the VPAT assessment internally or hire a VPAT consultant to assist you in the entire VPAT certification process. Most ICT buyers and procurement officials prefer VPAT ACRs developed by independent third parties because they tend to be more objective and trustworthy.
Completing the VPAT form should be done by a person knowledgeable in accessibility who is able to provide concise and accurate explanations in support of the conformance levels selected against the accessibility provisions in the VPAT. A duly filled-out VPAT form becomes a VPAT ACR.
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