What is the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)?

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a manual that assesses a product’s functionality following Section 508 Standards. It is indeed a vendor-created self-disclosure paper that outlines each part of the Section 508 specifications and how the product satisfies each criterion. Purchasers use VPATs to decide how available a product is and whether any possible flaws can exist. Any buyers need them before making purchases. The template is helpful for several reasons. The Information Technology Industrial Council hosts the official VPAT forms, which are compatible with Microsoft Word format. VPATs are an emotional problem that poses multiple problems for both the seller and the purchaser. On the one hand, the seller does not need to go into too much information about the product’s flaws, even though the issues are minor and addressed. On the other hand, the buyer does not want to do a full-fledged usability test of a product. Frequently, the procurement officer that collects a VPAT lacks the knowledge to understand it. One organization may be completely transparent and report any problems, even though they are insignificant, while the other company may be misleading in their product evaluation and not list enough facts to appear to have more… Read more “What is the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)?”