5. Procurement and Accessibility Policy
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT as it is commonly known, is a checklist that companies who supply the U.S. government can fill out to document the accessibility of their products. Because a VPAT is completed by the vendor, they have a tendency to present products in a better light than what may actually be the case. As a result, any time you are presented with a VPAT, it is important that a person knowledgeable in web accessibility critically reviews the document.
Toolkit: Download the VPAT 2.1 [DOC] form and add a bookmark/favourite to your Tool Kit.
Readings & References: VPAT 2.1 is now available.
The VPAT 2.1 Web and software accessibility requirements are based on WCAG 2.0. VPAT 2.1 also encompasses the European Union’s EN 301 549 accessibility requirements, and the Revised Section 508 requirements of January 2017.