A VPAT® (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized template developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) to support Section 508 compliance in U.S. federal procurement. Now widely used in both the public and private sectors worldwide, a VPAT outlines how well a digital product or service conforms to international accessibility standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and EN 301 549.
Key insights
- A VPAT is a standardized template from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). A completed VPAT is called an accessibility conformance report (ACR).
- VPAT 2.5 is the current version of the template, and it comes in four editions (508, WCAG, EU, and INT), each matched to the standards a given market requires.
- A VPAT documents conformance with recognized standards, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and EN 301 549.
- Conformance is recorded using four terms: Supports, Partially Supports, Does Not Support, and Not Applicable.
- A completed VPAT isn’t a certification of compliance. It shows the degree to which a product meets specific accessibility standards. This gives vendors and buyers a shared basis for discussion during procurement.
Accessibility compliance and the growing demand for proof
Accessibility claims are no longer enough. Before buying a digital product, procurement teams increasingly want clear evidence that it has been tested and that any barriers have been properly documented. For many buyers, that means requesting a completed VPAT, which is called an accessibility conformance report.
A credible report allows buyers to assess how well a product meets recognized accessibility standards, compare it with competing solutions, and make a more informed decision.
According to the Seventh Annual State of Digital Accessibility Report, 75% of professionals said their organization requires proof of accessibility at least most of the time when purchasing digital products. Almost a third, 31%, said such evidence is required for every purchase.
These requests are already standard across U.S. federal, state, and local government procurement, and are increasingly common in higher education, healthcare, and the wider enterprise market. As accessible technology becomes a greater priority, organizations that cannot provide a reliable VPAT report risk being excluded from contracts and losing valuable business.
For software vendors responding to requests for proposals (RFPs), and for procurement teams assessing potential suppliers, it’s helpful to understand what a VPAT is, how it works, and what makes the resulting report credible.
What is a VPAT?
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is a standardized template used to document the accessibility of a digital product or other information and communication technology (ICT).
Once completed, the VPAT serves as the basis for what’s known as an accessibility conformance report (ACR). This report explains how well a product or service conforms to recognized accessibility requirements, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or EN 301 549.
The VPAT was originally developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) to support Section 508 compliance in U.S. federal procurement. It is now widely used in both the public and private sectors worldwide.
A completed VPAT gives prospective customers a clear account of how a product performs against the accessibility standards they require, including where it conforms, where it falls short, and where further work may be needed.
What is an accessibility conformance report (ACR)?
While people often use the terms VPAT and ACR interchangeably, technically speaking, an accessibility conformance report (ACR) is the final output—a completed, standardized VPAT report. The VPAT itself is just the template used to create that report.
Buyers may ask for a “VPAT” as part of a request for proposal, or RFP, but what they need in practice is the ACR.
What are the different types of VPATs?
Buyers in different regions may need evidence of conformance with different standards. The VPAT is available in four editions, each designed to reflect the accessibility standards and compliance requirements of a particular market:
| VPAT edition | Focus | Usage | Applicable accessibility standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPAT 2.5 508 | Section 508 compliance | Used by U.S. federal agencies | Revised Section 508 (includes WCAG 2.0 AA) |
| VPAT 2.5 WCAG | WCAG conformance | Used by private-sector businesses and U.S. state / local governments | WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 (ISO/IEC 40500) |
| VPAT 2.5 EU | European accessibility standards | Used in European Union (EU) public-sector procurement | EN 301 549 (includes WCAG 2.0 and 2.1) |
| VPAT 2.5 INT | International standards | Ideal for global organizations needing multi-jurisdictional coverage | Section 508, EN 301 549, WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 |
Choosing the right VPAT edition ensures your VPAT report meets the expectations of your target customers and markets.
How do I obtain a VPAT report?
Completing a VPAT to produce an accurate ACR is a technical process. For that reason, the first step to obtain a VPAT report for your product is to enlist the help of an accessibility expert. This expert will:
- Audit the product or service against the relevant standards (e.g., WCAG 2.2).
- Document conformance levels for each criterion in the standard.
- Provide clear, defensible evidence of findings.
It’s important to engage an expert that has the technical knowledge and industry credibility needed to create a VPAT report that buyers trust as evidence of accessibility compliance.
What’s in a VPAT report?
A VPAT report typically includes the following sections:
- Product name and version
- Report title and date
- Evaluation methods
- Accessibility standards / guidelines (e.g., WCAG 2.2)
- Contact information
- Summary of applicable standards
- Conformance level explanations
- Tables detailing support for each requirement
At a high level, the report starts with background information about the product evaluated, and the evaluation methodology used. From there, it contains a series of tables, with rows that correspond to specific criteria within the relevant standards. Each row explains whether the product supports the corresponding requirement and provides details about its level of conformance.
Conformance levels are indicated with the following terms:
- Supports: Fully meets the accessibility requirements.
- Partially supports: Some elements meet the requirement.
- Does not support: The requirement is largely unmet.
- Not applicable: The requirement is not relevant to the product.
What if certain features of my product don’t conform?
Your buyers may not require your product to be accessible at the time of sale, but your completed VPAT report must be accurate.
If your product lacks certain accessible features needed to meet specific criteria, be transparent about its limitations and your plans to address them.
Provide detailed notes on:
- Which areas of the product don’t conform.
- Why the issues exist.
- Whether fixes are planned.
- How users are affected, or not affected.
Explaining how you plan to meet accessibility requirements over time gives buyers a clearer understanding of your current position and remediation roadmap. This level of clarity builds trust with buyers and shows that your team takes accessibility seriously.
The Level Access approach to VPATs
At Level Access, we partner with organizations to create credible VPAT reports that clearly document a product’s accessibility. Our experts:
- Audit core user flows using assistive technologies.
- Identify accessibility barriers and offer remediation guidance.
- Support your team through fixes and validation.
- Deliver objective, reputable ACRs.
If your organization is preparing to complete a VPAT, don’t go it alone. Our team has supported thousands of companies in achieving accessibility at scale, with the documentation to prove it.
Contact our team today to learn how we can equip you with the credible accessibility evidence you need to close deals.
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