VPATs وبيانات إمكانية الوصول

A VPAT serves buyers in procurement, while an accessibility statement speaks to everyday users. Many organizations need both.

VPAT means Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, a standard form a vendor fills in to describe how a product meets accessibility criteria.

A completed VPAT yields an Accessibility Conformance Report, the actual document a buyer reviews before purchasing your software.

For each criterion the report says Supports, Partially Supports, or Does Not Support, plus remarks explaining the real-world detail.

VPAT editions map to standards: choose the WCAG edition, or the combined one if you also need Section 508 and EN 301 549 columns.

Government and large enterprise buyers often require a VPAT before they will even consider a product, especially in the U.S. and EU.

An inflated VPAT can become evidence against you. Marking something Supports when it does not is a liability, so be precise and truthful.

An accessibility statement is the user-facing page describing your conformance target, known issues, and how to report a barrier.

Name the standard and level you target, list known limitations, give a contact channel, and date the page so readers know it is current.

In the EU public sector and elsewhere, a published accessibility statement with feedback contact is not optional but legally mandated.

A stale VPAT or statement is worse than none, so re-audit after major releases and update both so they keep matching reality.

Recall the difference between the two documents.

A VPAT produces an ACR for buyers, and an accessibility statement informs users. Keep both honest, dated, and current. Course complete! 🎯