What Is An VPAT Accessibility-Training Program?
A VPAT accessibility training program is a planned sequence and combination of activities designed to provide an individual with the knowledge and skills needed to become an expert in using the voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) to ensure no barriers exist that prevent people with disabilities from interacting with and accessing electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services.
The VPAT is the cornerstone of VPAT compliance and the characteristic of VPAT accessibility training programs. It is the primary global reporting format for supporting buyers and sellers in offering and identifying EIT products and services with superior accessible features, respectively.
What Is VPAT Compliance?
VPAT compliance is the essential documentation to assist in the measurement and demonstration of conformance of EIT products or services to specified accessibility criteria using the correct edition of the VPAT form.
The primary goal of VPAT compliance is to ensure that EIT products and services comply with established accessibility laws and policies, such as the Rehabilitation Act’s Revised Section 508, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and the European Union’s EN 301 549 Accessibility Standard.
Key Essentials Of An Effective VPAT Training Program
An effective VPAT training program will familiarize you with the VPAT, improve your skills in preparing to write a VPAT accessibility conformance report (ACR), and provide you with information on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Revised Section 508, and the European Union’s EN 301 549 Accessibility Standard, as well as the VPAT editions associated with them.
Other important components of a successful VPAT training program include knowledge of what constitutes a good VPAT, what to do with your completed VPAT, and insights into VPAT accessibility conformance report (ACR) reading and evaluation.
- Introduction to the VPAT
An effective VPAT training program will help you recognize that the VPAT template is a work in progress that will be updated in response to the advent of new technologies as well as feedback from government and industry users.
A good VPAT training program will also help you understand how the VPAT template incorporates existing accessibility standards and recommendations into its four market-specific versions. The Section 508 VPAT, for example, anchors the Section 508 compliance checklist as defined in the Section 508 Accessibility Standard.
- Preparing to write a VPAT ACR
This aspect of the training will help you learn: when a VPAT ACR enters the design, development, and procurement processes; who should write the ACR; which sections to fill out; how to deal with third-party products; and the minimum requirements for writing ACRs.
- WCAG, Section 508, and EN 301 549 standards
A good VPAT training program will teach you how the VPAT tables for WCAG, Section 508, and EN 301 549 list the technical criteria to be evaluated and how each one has two answers: conformance level and remarks and explanations.
You should also be able to learn the various VPAT editions that anchor the accessibility standards or guidelines and give EIT product and service vendors the opportunity to develop ACRs based on the standards that are suitable for their individual markets. The editions are the WCAG VPAT, the Section 508 VPAT, the EU (EN 301 549) VPAT, and the International (INT) VPAT.
The INT VPAT combines the VPAT WCAG, the VPAT Section 508, and the VPAT EU. It is used on a global basis to document VPAT accessibility for publicly procurable products and services.
The Section 508 VPAT anchors the Section 508 Accessibility Standard and is used to document VPAT compliance by EIT products and services procurable by federal organizations, whereas the EU VPAT anchors the EU’s accessibility criteria for public procurement of EIT products and services in Europe.
The WCAG VPAT is used to document website and web-based tool compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
- What makes a VPAT ACR good?
An efficient VPAT training program should teach participants what a good VPAT ACR involves. A good VPAT ACR makes accurate assertions regarding a product’s or service’s accessibility. An ACR must be correct because it is a legal document and should be examined by the management of the connected product or service.
- What to do with the VPAT ACR
A great VPAT training program can help you comprehend what you’ll do with the VPAR ACR once you’ve done it. It will also notify you of any future modifications to the VPAT form.
- VPAT ACR reading and evaluation
An effective VPAT training program will teach you what VPAT ACR readers and examiners look for while reading an ACR. This includes determining the appropriate VPAT edition, the product version, the types of testing done, the criteria required, and interpreting the success criterion tables.
Need Help With Learning About VPAT Accessibility?
You can learn more about VPAT accessibility by reviewing samples of VPAT reports created by accessibility experts or by calling VPAT compliance experts at (626) 486-2201 at a convenient time to schedule a consultation.
