Portland Community College (PCC) VPAT Guidance
What is a VPAT?
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It is a document prepared by a product developer or vendor to describe how well the product conforms to accessibility standards. There are also other types of accessibility documentation.
Other examples of accessibility documents:
- Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT) – this template is also used for information security so it is important to ensure there is robust accessibility information included if used in lieu of a VPAT.
- Accessibility White Paper or Statement – these documents are often standalone and may reflect a goal or strategy related to accessibility without providing explicit confirmation of alignment with standards.
- Accessibility Roadmap – these documents typically serve to prioritize and outline the timeline for barriers that have been identified to be addressed.
- WCAG Conformance Statement – Some vendors have a detailed conformance statement that specifically calls out where the product meets or doesn’t meet WCAG.
Why do we need a VPAT?
The VPAT helps guide decisions about adopting or procuring Information and Communication Technology (ICT):
- It gives us a way to understand where the product’s development team sees their alignment with accessibility standards.
- We can use them to compare similar products or to track movement of a given product over time.
- Ideally, they help us to choose a product that best meets accessibility standards and the organization’s functional and legal requirements.
- They cannot be taken at face value, but help guide end user testing.
- They give us something tangible to use when discussing strengths/risks.
- We will need to plan for equally effective access when a product is not accessible, and there is no accessible alternative product available.
Do we have to get a VPAT?
We ask for VPATs and other related accessibility resources in our Tech Review Process, and will accept all forms of accessibility documentation that are available, but this type of documentation is not always available.
How do I get a VPAT?
Some vendors publish Accessibility Statements on their websites. Some publish their VPATs or Roadmaps. Others will provide accessibility documentation only when you request it from their sales or support contact. There are also some who do not produce any type of accessibility documentation. It is a voluntary process.
What if a VPAT is not available?
In the technology review process we ask for accessibility documentation and complement it with end user testing. If we do not have any documentation to use to guide our process we may need information from the vendor and/or requestor to understand the use case and intended functionality.