Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a standardized document used to describe how well a digital product meets accessibility standards such as WCAG. It’s commonly required by government agencies and large institutions, but increasingly affects smaller teams and open-source projects as well. 

Recently, a client asked me to complete this form to be included in a grant application that they were submitting. As someone who tries to keep up to date on accessibility requirements and has experimented occasionally with automated accessibility testing tools, I had never been through the process of actually doing a complete audit of one of our sites. 

The exercise was informative and educational. In this session I will share my experience completing it, explain how the form works and what I learned from completing the process. I will do a "quick/informal" audit of BackdropCMS.org focusing on some of the most interesting and important requirements. 

In this session, we’ll walk through what the process looks like for a small team without dedicated accessibility staff. 

What you will learn:

• What is the VPAT

• Some general guidance for completing a VPAT

• A better understanding of how a complete accessbility audit of one of your sites can make you a better developer and help make the internet more accessible

• Some common and easy to catch accessibility issues

Who this session is for

• Developers and site architects who have or may be asked to complete a VPAT

• Project managers and technical leads responsible for accessibility claims or documentation

• Anyone who wants a clearer, less intimidating view of accessibility compliance beyond automated tools

This session will be an informal presentation with lots of time for discussion. If you have experience completing a VPAT or other accessbility audits or  have questions about them, we look forward to hearing about your experiences and/or answering your questions.