ACR
A completed VPAT (see below) is known as an accessibility conformance report (ACR). The Digital Accessibility team reviews ACRs and determines when exceptions are required. Most often, an exception is required when important accessibility criteria are not met. For example, the product may:
- Require a mouse (important for individuals who only operate with a keyboard).
- Not have closed captions for non-text media (e.g., video content).
- Not contain alternative text for graphics, especially if those graphics are images of text.
- Contain insufficient color contrast between text and background.
Note: Some vendors still refer to the completed document as a VPAT, but ACR is the more correct term.
VPAT
The voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) is a document that outlines how a product conforms to various accessibility criteria (e.g., if closed captions are provided for videos). The manufacture (or a third party) fills out this form by testing the product with a variety of tools and measures.
The purchaser of a product should not fill out this form, but they may provide the manufacturer a blank VPAT to fill out (should the manufacturer be unfamiliar with VPATs). The latest VPATs can be downloaded from the Information Technology Industry Council’s website.
Note: There are four different editions of the VPAT. Prairie View A&M University prefers the Revised WCAG Edition.