A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document that explains how a website, service, or product meets the Rehabilitation Act's Revised 508 Standards. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires the federal government and its agencies to develop, procure, and maintain accessible information and communication technology (ICT), regardless of whether the place of accommodation belongs to the federal government or its agencies.
Why a VPAT?
If an organization receives funds from or works with the federal government in any capacity, the VPAT accessibility of its products or services is frequently requested. As part of the accessibility process, the federal government requires businesses that work with it and its agencies to have a VPAT.
How can a consumer or purchaser of an ICT product or service be certain that the product or service is available before making the decision to purchase it? This is where a VPAT comes in handy. It is created by the vendor and distributed to potential customers.
The VPAT lists the possible criteria spread across various standards and criteria and indicates whether or not their product or service supports each one. A separate "comments" column is used to provide additional information, remarks, or explanations if a criterion is not fully supported.
Overall, the VPAT informs you whether your product or service meets specific accessibility standards and whether you are in compliance with the law if you purchase the product or service. If you're a vendor, it will tell you whether your disabled clients, employees, customers, or students will be able to use the product or service.
Enhancing the value of VPATs
Given the significance of VPATs in improving accessibility by providing a promising practice in accessibility reporting, how can we make 508 compliance VPATs universal?
- Highlight the business case for VPATs
Spreading information about what makes the VPAT initiative worthwhile for technology vendors can help increase the value of VPATs. High-quality VPATs are effective indicators of Section 508 compliance. They inform customers whether a vendor's products or services are available or not. VPAT accessibility can help a company's external reputation by demonstrating that it cares about accessibility.
VPATs can also help to build the company’s reputation internally as a center of excellence that helps to attract high-skilled and diverse employees. VPATs also facilitate business for the product or service that they relate to and can save time and money if an internal accessibility team handles them.
- Increased communication between vendors and customers about VPATs
Increasing customer opportunities to learn more about VPATs and scrutinize VPAT details is a great step toward increasing VPATs because it improves customer understanding of accessibility principles.
More information about VPATs to help vendors and customers appreciate the VPAT initiative can also help to increase VPAT accessibility and Section 508 compliance VPAT advocacy.
- Vigilance over fraudulent and inaccurate VPATs
Not all VPATs are truthful and accurate. There may be vendors who deceive customers by providing fraudulent or inaccurate VPATs that lack the details needed to determine Section 508 compliance and meet accessibility requirements.
Some of these VPATs appear to be too good to be true, as they pass all of the checkpoints with no explanation. By exposing these suspicious VPATs, we can increase the value of VPATs and maintain customer trust in VPATs. This could include requiring vendors to provide supporting documentation in order to give their VPATs credibility.
- Undertake civic education to enable mass appreciation of VPATs
Educating business owners, particularly young and aspiring entrepreneurs, about VPATs will assist them in incorporating them into their operations. When business owners understand the value that VPATs will bring to their company, they will readily support VPAT development for their products and services, creating a multiplier effect in the promotion of the VPAT initiative.
- Promote robust VPAT accessibility reviews
The promotion of accessibility reviews can help boost VPATs. There are several types of such reviews, each of which is determined by the availability of information and institutional resources. Incomplete or contradictory information should prompt questions for the product or service vendor, as well as the identification of alternate access plans, during such reviews.
Reach out for more ideas on how we can boost the value of VPATs
Need more ideas on how you can support the boosting of the value of VPATs? Contact ADA Compliance Pros at (626) 486-2201 to continue this conversation and find out how we can work together on this. You could also learn from their VPAT example so that you can boost the quality of your VPAT.
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