Voluntary Product Assessment Template (VPAT)
What is a VPAT?
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It is a recommended reporting format used to assist government contracting officials and other buyers in identifying commercially available ICT1 with accessibility features.
There are four different editions of the VPAT, which enables ICT manufacturers to create accessibility conformance reports focused on the standards relevant to specific markets and contract requirements.
- VPAT 2.4 508
- VPAT 2.4 EU
- VPAT 2.4 WCAG
- VPAT 2.4 INT
We prefer that our vendors use the VPAT 2.4 WCAG2 version.
Why are we asking for a VPAT?
Providing us with a VPAT helps us to better understand the accessibility features of your product and quickly identify any areas where a user with disabilities may encounter difficulties. Evaluating the digital accessibility of your product based on the information provided in your VPAT is an important first step in the purchasing process.
A good, thoroughly-detailed VPAT can help move a purchasing request through the process more quickly. Likewise, the lack of a VPAT or a poorly-detailed VPAT can delay the process significantly.
What does a good VPAT look like?
What information is included in the VPAT?
All four editions of the VPAT contain the following essential information and features:
- Instructions covering essential requirements to use the VPAT service mark and best practices, which provide for consistent, uniform and more complete reporting by manufacturers.
- A Product Description field that briefly describes the product.
- An Evaluation Methods Used field to describe methods used to test the product’s accessibility.
- A Notes field for the report and for each table to provide additional detail concerning the product tested and the evaluation methods.
- Provided as a Microsoft Word file that can be used as is or reproduced in other formats.
Who should I contact if I have questions?
If you have questions or comments regarding VPATs or the ICT accessibility compliance portion of the purchasing process, please email your digital accessibility compliance team.
Your Digital Accessibility Compliance Team
Alison Haynes, Assistant Director
Email: ahayne23@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-2686
Doug Flower, IT Accessibility Specialist
Email: dflower7@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-0885
1 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) - also commonly referred to as Electronic and Information Technology (EIT). See University Policy 4-16 regarding electronic and information technology accessibility.
2 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) - developed by the W3C in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world as a single shared standard for web content accessibility. .
Information on this page provided in part by the