VPAT Compliance And VPAT Certification: Complete 2022 Guide
In this digital world, the current marketplace conditions have made it essential for every business to use ‘information and communication technology’ (ICT).
Regardless of the industry vertical, every business needs to abide by the law meant for ICT accessibility. One such accessible measure is VPAT certification.
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template that is used to generate an ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report).
Getting the VPAT or ACR report is a procedure of voluntary declaration of the accessibility standards followed by an organization. These days, almost every business entity is filling outthe VPAT template and it may look like the certification is not voluntary anymore because clients/vendors often ask for it.
In today’s post, we discuss the role of VPAT in the success of an organization in the year 2022. We would also describe the process to get VPAT certification this year.
What is aVPAT?
The VPAT assessment helps a business to verify the conformance of their ICT products as per Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The section describes that all ICT procurements of the federal government must be accessible by every individual regardless of their disability.
Moreover, the VPAT report also provides a detailed description of your website’s adherence to WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and EN 301 549 standards of accessibility.
The VPAT was developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC). There are different editions of VPAT covering information about the above mentioned accessibility guidelines.
The latest and revised version is VPAT 2.4 which covers accessibility standards of WCAG, Section 508 as well as EN 301 459.
What is the use of VPAT certification?
It is suggested by accessibility experts that a VPAT certification should be updated every year.
On one hand, we discuss that it is a voluntary certification and on the other side, we advocate annual updates of VPAT, confusing, isn’t it?
Well, VPAT indeed was published to ensure that the federal government is procuring ICT offerings that are easily accessible by everyone.
However, different editions of VPAT can be used to access a website for other accessibility laws, such as the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
ADA is a law and violating it may lead to serious litigations. Therefore, an annual VPAT accessibility auditensures that you steer clear of the risk of lawsuits.
To put it simply, a VPAT makes you a preferred vendor for agencies that are linked with the federal government.
VPAT testing makes your products and offerings compliant with US law and minimizes the risk of legal recourse.
A VPAT is also helpful in addressing accessibility issues so that you can find areas for improvement and reach a larger segment of the target audience.
How to fill out aVPAT template in 2022?
A VPAT is considered useful for businesses that deal in software, hardware, electronic content or distance education.
To generate the ACR report, you need to download the VPAT template from the official website of ITIC and fill it out.
The latest VPAT 2.4 template is free to download and anyone can fill it out. However, it is very important to fill the VPAT template with the utmost integrity and accuracy.
While filling up the report, you will have to disclose the accessibility criteria and the evaluation methods used. It requires in-depth domain knowledge of accessibility standards. For instance, if you want to publish aVPAT edition that also confirms WCAG guidelines, then you must present evidence based on success criteria, conformance level and remarks.
It is important to hire a third party specialist to fill out the VPAT. You might protect your business from uploading vague, incorrect or false information about accessibility standards. Visit the link given below to consult the accessibility audit specialists, who can help you fill out the VPAT documents with total transparency.
