A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is an essential tool that enables schools and other institutions to evaluate the accessibility of products and services about Section 508 compliance. This document outlines how a product or service meets specific accessibility criteria, detailing whether it is entirely, partially, or non-compliant in certain areas.

For public schools, where providing equal access to educational tools and digital platforms is critical, VPATs serve as a transparent method for evaluating and selecting technologies that meet the needs of all students, especially those with disabilities. Requesting and analyzing VPATs ensures that accessibility is considered part of the procurement process, preventing the purchase of tools that may exclude students from essential learning activities.

How VPATs Work: Breaking Down Compliance

A VPAT is structured to comprehensively review a product’s accessibility features, covering several key areas outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Rehabilitation Act’s Section 508, and other relevant standards. Each VPAT assesses the product across categories like:

1. Keyboard Navigation: This is crucial for students with physical disabilities who cannot use a mouse. VPATs will indicate whether users can navigate the product using only a keyboard. For instance, this ensures that students who use assistive technology or adaptive input devices can fully engage with the platform.
2. Compatibility with Assistive Technology: Schools often must ensure that digital tools work seamlessly with assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers, or speech-to-text programs. A VPAT outlines whether the product supports these technologies, making it accessible to students with visual or auditory impairments.
3. Color Contrast and Text Customization: For students with visual impairments or color blindness, customizable text sizes and high-contrast color schemes are essential. A VPAT will assess whether a product includes options for adjusting contrast and text, ensuring that all visual content is readable.
4. Text Alternatives for Non-Text Elements: Students with visual impairments often rely on alternative text (alt text) to understand images and graphics. A VPAT will specify whether the product supports alt text, ensuring that multimedia elements are accessible to students using screen readers.
5. Multimedia Accessibility: This includes features like closed captioning and transcripts for audio and video content. A compliant VPAT ensures that students with hearing impairments can fully engage with multimedia resources by verifying the availability of captions and transcripts.

Each section of the VPAT is rated for compliance, typically on a scale of fully supports, partially supports, does not support, or not applicable. This transparency allows schools to quickly understand a product’s accessibility strengths and weaknesses, guiding them to make better-informed decisions.

How Schools Use VPATs in the Procurement Process

When schools request VPATs from vendors, they are taking an active step toward prioritizing accessibility during the purchasing process. By doing so, they ensure that accessibility isn’t an afterthought but a fundamental requirement. Here’s how schools use VPATs to improve their procurement strategy:

1. Evaluating Products for Compliance: Schools review VPATs to determine if the technology they purchase suits all students, especially those with disabilities. For example, when a school selects a learning management system (LMS), they may use the VPAT to assess whether the platform is keyboard navigable, compatible with screen readers, and allows customization of visual elements like text size and color contrast.
   By analyzing the VPAT, the school can determine whether the LMS meets accessibility needs before making the purchase. If gaps are identified, the school can address these issues with the vendor, potentially requesting enhancements or looking for alternatives.
2. Comparing Products: With multiple vendors offering similar products, schools can use VPATs to compare competing solutions based on their level of accessibility. For example, two learning management systems might offer identical features in terms of content delivery. Still, if one platform fully complies with Section 508 and the other only partially supports assistive technology, the school may prioritize the more accessible solution.
   This comparison helps schools ensure that the product they choose will be usable by every student, regardless of ability, thus avoiding the need for additional costly adaptations later on.
3. Making Informed Decisions: VPATs allow schools to ask critical questions before committing to a product. For example:some text
   • Can this LMS be easily navigated by students with physical disabilities?
   • Does the platform work with the screen readers used by visually impaired students?
   • Are there adequate text and multimedia accommodations for hearing-impaired students?
4. These informed decisions ensure legal compliance and guarantee that the school is investing in tools that support the diverse needs of its student population.
5. Negotiating with Vendors: If a VPAT reveals that a product falls short in crucial accessibility areas, schools can deal with vendors. For example, suppose a school finds that a particular LMS lacks support for closed captioning in its video content. In that case, they can request that the vendor provide an update or work with the vendor to find a solution, such as using third-party tools for captioning.
   Schools may also use the VPAT to demand customized accessibility features to meet specific needs or ensure that the vendor provides regular updates to maintain compliance as accessibility standards evolve.

VPATs and Vendor Accountability

Vendors that provide VPATs are signaling their commitment to accessibility and transparency. By offering a clear breakdown of their product’s compliance with accessibility standards, they demonstrate accountability and a willingness to work with educational institutions to meet the diverse needs of students. This fosters a collaborative relationship between vendors and schools, encouraging ongoing improvements to products and services to maintain compliance.

Additionally, schools can hold vendors accountable for future updates to their products. If a VPAT reveals areas where a product is only partially compliant, the school can follow up with the vendor to ensure that these issues are addressed in subsequent software updates or versions.

Why VPATs Are Essential for Schools

By using VPATs, schools make informed choices about the technology they are investing in, ensuring that it serves all students equitably. Accessible technology helps students with disabilities engage fully in their education, providing them with the tools to participate in classroom activities, complete assignments, and interact with their peers and teachers.

In today’s digital learning environment, where remote and hybrid learning are increasingly common, VPATs become even more critical. Schools must ensure that the platforms they rely on are accessible to every student, whether they are learning in person or online. This ensures that no student is left behind due to technological barriers.