What is VPAT Accessibility and How is it Important in EdTech?

What is VPAT accessibility?

VPAT accessibility refers to the inclusive practices and actions related to the use of a voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) to identify and deal with the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from interacting with and accessing electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services.

VPAT accessibility begins with understanding the market you intend to make your EIT products and services available to for purchase. This helps to identify the correct VPAT edition to use during the rest of the VPAT certification processes. If, for example, you intend to convince federal agencies to procure the products or services, then you’ll use the VPAT 508 edition as the basis for your VPAT scoring.

Key VPAT accessibility milestones

Milestones are checkpoints that highlight the completion of major events, tasks, or groups of tasks along a given project or process.

In the VPAT accessibility pathway, the major milestones are: selection of the appropriate accessibility VPAT, conducting the VPAT audit, filling out the VPAT form to generate the VPAT accessibility conformance report (ACR), and making the VPAT ACR accessible.

1. Selection of the correct accessibility VPAT

Accurate VPAT compliance starts with choosing the correct edition of the VPAT form to use. There are four different VPAT editions, each catering to the accessibility requirements for different markets: the VPAT Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Edition, the VPAT 508 Edition, the VPAT European Union (EU) Edition, and the VPAT International (INT) Edition.

The VPAT WCAG Edition is used when testing the compliance of websites and web-based digital resources with the WCAG. The VPAT 508 Edition is used to test the compliance of digital products and services with the Revised Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.

The VPAT EU Edition is used to test the accessibility compliance of digital products and services to the EU’s EN 301 549 accessibility standards for public procurement of EIT products and services in Europe.

The VPAT INT Edition is a combination of all the other three VPAT editions and is the appropriate edition of the VPAT form for documenting the accessibility of EIT products and services for public procurement globally.

Products and services meeting the accessibility standards set out in this edition of the VPAT form have all the accessibility features included in the VPAT WCAG, VPAT 508, and VPAT EN 301 549 standards.

1. Conducting VPAT assessments

VPAT assessments are helpful in identifying any accessibility issues a product or service has. They may take the form of manual or tool-based auditing services. Specific accessibility issues are not easily identified just through scanning with online accessibility checkers. That is because they involve technical complications that can only be identified by accessibility experts.

1. Completion of the VPAT ACR

Once VPAT testing has been completed, the information thus obtained is used to fill out the appropriate VPAT form to generate a VPAT ACR. This step requires high levels of accuracy and completeness to avoid the legal and financial risks associated with the submission of inaccurate and incomplete VPAT reports.

1. Making the VPAT ACR accessible

VPAT accessibility culminates in making the generated VPAT report accessible to anyone who may require it. Most businesses and organizations usually post the ACRs on their websites, while others provide them upon request.

How VPAT accessibility is important in EdTech

"EdTech" is short form for "education technology." It refers to new technological implementations in the classroom. Examples include in-classroom tablets, interactive projection screens and whiteboards, online content delivery, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), among others.

EdTech institutions such as schools and universities are responsible for a wide range of tools and systems, from those that deliver the required course content with day-one availability to those that empower publishers and storefronts selling directly to learners.

Regardless of their product or service offerings, EdTech institutions must ensure not only that the target content is available where and when users need it but also that the platform and the content are created using universal design principles that ensure accessibility.

The VPAT WCAG is used as a benchmark for creating accessible EdTech platforms. The tool delineates how to make content more accessible to people with disabilities.

EdTech institutions must use VPAT accessibility to ensure that all customer-facing applications conform to the WCAG standard wherever possible and make documentation about that conformance publicly available.

Need help with VPAT accessibility in your EdTech offering?

Ensuring VPAT accessibility is a shared responsibility of EdTech learning platforms.

Each EdTech institution should work closely with their product and service providers to ensure they have the tools and knowledge they need to successfully create standard-based content with the requisite VPAT passing score to be delivered through their platforms.

For help with a VPAT audit of your EdTech learning platforms, call (626) 486-220 to speak with an EdTech accessibility specialist. Consultations are always free.