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The VPAT template covers accessibility standards such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, the EU’s EN 301549 standard, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Most VPATs test against WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 standards.

The Information Technology Industry Council(opens in a new tab) (ITI) is a global advocate for technology whose aim is to promote public policies and industry standards that advance competition and innovation worldwide.

The ITI has created four different editions of the VPAT(opens in a new tab), enabling agencies, manufacturers, and suppliers to focus on the standards relevant to their specific markets and contract requirements:

• Revised Section 508 standards(opens in a new tab): the US Federal accessibility standard.

• EN 301 549(opens in a new tab): the European Union’s “Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe.”

• WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

• INT: Incorporates all three of the above standards.

A VPAT and an Accessibility Compliance Report (ACR) are closely related, but they have slightly different purposes in digital accessibility documentation.

A VPAT is a standardised template that showcases how your products comply with accessibility standards. An ACR, on the other hand, is the completed VPAT. It’s the filled out report that provides in-depth details about how your product conforms to accessibility standards.

More simply, a VPAT is a template, while an ACR is the completed report based on that template.

No, a VPAT is not a legal requirement by itself; however, in some cases, providing an ACR may be necessary to comply with web accessibility laws and regulations.

No, a VPAT does not guarantee full compliance with accessibility laws. It is a self-reported document that assesses how well your product meets accessibility standards.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first federal law to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities(opens in a new tab). It applies to federal agencies, contractors, and any programme that receives federal funding from the US government.

In 1998, the Rehabilitation Act was amended to include Section 508, which requires agencies to “give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others.”

Website accessibility ensures that all users — regardless of their ability — can access and use websites, mobile applications, documents, and other online tools. In addition to providing a good experience for users, website accessibility ensures organisations are compliant with accessibility standards such as WCAG, ADA, ARIA, and others.

Section 508 was explicitly intended to address digital accessibility, and applies to all electronic communications, including but not limited to:

• Public-facing websites and mobile apps.

• Internal and external emails.

• PDFs and other digital documents.

• Digital training resources.

Unlike the ADA, Section 508 contains clear accessibility standards(opens in a new tab) developed by the US Access Board.

In 2017, the board incorporated WCAG 2.0(opens in a new tab) into its Section 508 Standards. The current standards explicitly require agencies to meet WCAG’s Level A and Level AA guidelines.