Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs): Part 1

The Understanding VPATs course is designed to help participants build practical knowledge and skills to understand, evaluate and use Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs). Participants will learn the purpose, structure and value of VPATs in assessing the accessibility of digital products and services. Through practical examples and hands-on exercises, participants will learn how to use VPATs to evaluate and procure accessible technology solutions.

Objectives

• Introduction to VPATs: Understand the background, purpose and importance of VPATs in digital accessibility, including their role in procurement processes and accessibility compliance.
• Key elements of a VPAT: Learn the essential sections and components of a VPAT, including product information, conformance levels and detailed accessibility requirements.
• Accessibility standards and guidelines: Become familiar with accessibility standards and guidelines referenced in VPATs, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508, and understand how they affect product evaluation and compliance.
• Interpreting VPAT conformance levels: Learn about conformance levels used in VPATs, including “Supports,” “Partially Supports” and “Does Not Support,” and understand how they reflect a product’s level of accessibility.
• Evaluating VPATs: Develop the skills to evaluate VPATs for accuracy, completeness and alignment with your organization’s accessibility goals and requirements.
• VPATs as a procurement tool: Learn how to use VPATs during the procurement process to assess the accessibility of technology products and services and support informed purchasing decisions.
• Communicating VPAT findings: Explore strategies for communicating VPAT findings with stakeholders, including procurement teams, vendors and decision-makers, to support informed decisions and promote accessibility awareness.

Who should attend

This course is designed for procurement professionals, accessibility specialists, IT managers, project managers and anyone involved in evaluating, procuring or supporting compliance for digital products and services. Whether you are new to VPATs or want to strengthen your understanding and use of them, this course provides practical skills for evaluating and procuring accessible technology solutions.

Join us for this course and build confidence in evaluating Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates.