What is an accessibility conformance report?

An accessibility conformance report (ACR) is a document that formally summarizes the extent to which an electronic information technology (EIT) product or service conforms to the established accessibility guidelines and standards, namely, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 or 2.1; the Revised Section 508 Standards; and the European Union (EU) EN 301 549 Standard.

There are four versions of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that a vendor of an EIT product or service can choose from to use in creating his or her VPAT ACR. The versions are: VPAT WCAG 2.0 or 2.1; VPAT Section 508; VPAT European Union (EU); and VPAT International (INT).

The VPAT WCAG version is used to create ACRs for websites and mobile applications. This is the version of the VPAT used to document accessibility for software providers as well as websites. Unless requests for proposals are specific about using either the VPAT WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, vendors can use either version because they capture the same accessibility features.

The Section 508 VPAT version contains requirements relating to the accessibility features provided in the 508 Accessibility Standards. VPAT EU contains the requirements suitable for public procurement of EIT products and services in Europe, while VPAT INT contains the accessibility requirements that are accepted internationally (comprising of the requirements under WCAG, Section 508, and the EU’s EN 301 549). All the VPAT versions have WCAG requirements.

Creating an ACR report

The creation of an ACR report should be done after the targeted EIT product or service has been evaluated for conformance to the relevant accessibility guidelines or standards.

The VPAT assessments that precede the completion of VPAT ACRs can be completed either by a vendor’s in-house team (if they have the competence to develop an accurate and complete VPAT ACR) or a third-party accessibility expert such as ADA Compliance Pros.

For objectivity in the creation of ACRs, it has been established that employing third-party accessibility experts to undertake a VPAT audit for an EIT product or service and completion of the ACR produces the best ACRs that not only help businesses win federal contracts but also learn about the accessibility challenges in their products and services, which leads to product improvements.

The steps used by ACR creation experts involve the following:

1. Definition of the VPAT audit methodology

I observed that ADA Compliance Pros specified the evaluation procedures they would employ to ascertain the accessibility compliance of the technology prior to starting the accessibility conformance report for a SaaS company I recommended to them. This included developing a list of the testing instruments to be used, the assistive technology to be used to check for adherence to the accessibility standards and guidelines, and the job titles of the individuals conducting the audit.

2. Completion of the ACRs based on findings of the VPAT audit

Completion of the ACR involves each applicable success listed in the appropriate version of the guiding VPAT being assigned a conformance level. Conformance levels are defined in the VPAT versions as follows:

• “Supports”: This is used to denote that the functionality of the product or service has at least one method that meets the established criteria without known defects or it meets with equivalent facilitation.
• “Partially supports”: This is used to show that some functionality of the product does not meet the set criterion.
• “Does not support”: This conformance level is used when the majority of the product or service’s functionality does not meet the set criteria.
• “Not applicable”: This conformance level is used if the criterion under consideration is not relevant to the product or service that was evaluated.
• “Not evaluated”: Is used if the product or service was not evaluated against the set criteria. This submission can be used only in WCAG 2.0 or WCAG 2.1 Level AAA.

Need help with creating an ACR report?

For assistance in undertaking a VPAT audit and completing your ACR report, make your request by calling (626) 486-220. If you wish to test your website for accessibility, click here to start a free accessibility check.

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