Reason Why Every Tech Product Should Have A VPAT

What is a VPAT?

The acronym VPAT refers to “voluntary product accessibility template,” which is a fillable web-based document that assists vendors of electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services in documenting how their EIT products and services comply with existing accessibility standards and guidelines.

The standards and guidelines that are currently in place are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and 2.1, the Revised Section 508 standards, and the European Union’s EN 301 549 accessibility standards.

Why The VPAT Was Developed?

The VPAT was developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in collaboration with the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide a standard reporting format and make it easier for procurement officials to conduct preliminary assessments of EIT products and services for accessibility.

Originally developed to help U.S. federal agencies determine how well the EIT products and services they purchase meet the Section 508 accessibility standards, the VPAT has now been embraced by many organizations outside the federal government, including the European Union and international public procurement entities.

The VPAT security is increasing being required during procurement processes not only within the federal government ecosystem, but also among the federally funded organizations and organizations committed to accessibility worldwide, including institutions of higher learning and large corporations.

Benefits Of Having A VPAT For Each EIT Product Or Service

If you are using any EIT product or service, it should have an up-to-date filled out VPAT. This is because of the following reasons:

• Helps you to provide a standard-format description of your EIT products or services, which enables your customers easily compare the accessibility of your products and services against the accessibility of multiple similar products or services. If you are judicious in making your products and services accessible, this can attract more customers to your products or services, including those who were buying your competitors’ products and services but find yours more accessibility appealing.

• Helps to prepare you and your prospective customers for discussions about accessibility. When filling out the VPAT, you are able to identify key questions that prospective customers may ask you during procurement processes and prepare for them. Buyers who review your filled out VPAT will also concentrate on asking you questions that enable them purchase your products or services rather than waste your time with questions your VPAT articulates responses to.

• Provides a fallback position should accessibility issues be identified after your EIT product or service has been purchased by your customers. If accessibility flaws were identified during your VPAT testing and acknowledged with explanations in the VPAT report, it can help you navigate any claims of providing misleading information to be awarded a contract to supply the products or services that are later found to have some accessibility flaws. You need a thorough accessibility third-party expert or an up-to-date VPAT testing tool to discover and document such flaws!
• Helps to increase awareness about your conformance to accessibility standards and to promotion of your brand among the best practice manufacturers and vendors. If you are providing web-based solutions, it enhances your SEO, which can significantly result in increased revenue and profits.

Why Every Tech Product Should Have A VPAT?

Tech products have a significant sway on the world around us. They permeate every sector or the economy and every sphere of our lives. No organization seeking to enhance its productivity can effectively achieve that goal with espousing the use of tech products.

The importance of tech products has been widely documented. It includes digital revolutions that have caused 52% of organizations world-over reporting enhanced worker productivity, 49% reporting improved performance, and 46% reporting better customer experience.

Tech products can, therefore, serve as efficient catalysts for deeper penetration of VPAT compliance, which is why every tech product should have a VPAT.

What Is VPAT Compliance?

VPAT compliance is the ecosystem of processes and actions resulting in the succinct documentation and making accessible of a product’s conformance to the established accessibility standards and guidelines using the appropriate edition of the VPAT.

For a web-based tech product, for example, VPAT compliance will involve undertaking a VPAT assessment on the product using an appropriate VPAT testing tool, filling out the appropriate VPAT to create an accurate and succinct VPAT accessibility conformance report (ACR), and posting or making the VPAT ACR accessible. For websites, VPAT compliance culminates in developing a VPAT statement of accessibility to provide customers with a brief about the website’s conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Get Help With Developing A VPAT For Your Tech Product

If you need assistance with developing a VPAT or updating a VPAT ACR for your tech product, call (626) 486-2201 to get a consult on the books. Consultations are always free!