What's a VPAT®? How about an ACR?
VPAT® stands for “Voluntary Product Accessibility Template”. It is used to generate an “Accessibility Compliance Report” (or ACR for short). This report is used by government agencies, buyers at educational institutions, and private sector buyers to assess your website or app’s level of accessibility.
Do I need an ACR?
If you’re a government agency (Federal, state, or local), or you receive government funding, the answer is “yes”. If you’re a private company that operates exclusively within the private sector, then it is completely voluntary.
What Standards are VPAT®s Based on?
Currently, the DOJ requires government agencies to comply with Version 2.1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Level AA). We encourage clients to exceed that level, and follow the newer version of WCAG (2.2).
OK, I need an ACR. Where do I Start?
Automated accessibility testers and plugins typically only uncover 30-40% of issues. So the first step is to get a complete professional audit. Once that’s been completed, you have a couple of choices:
- We can either draft an ACR using the results of the initial audit, or
- We can provide remediation guidance so you can address the issues, and then do a follow-up audit to improve your results
Contact us today to get started.