Accessibility Documentation

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is an accessibility rubric. A completed VPAT is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). These are used for Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and services. They are only used to review electronic and information resources (EIR). This includes EIR under development, depending on the stage in the life cycle. Learn more about why and how companies file the VPAT/ACR.

Note: If universities are requesting the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT), fill out the most recent versions provided on their website. The most recent versions of HECVAT Full and HECVAT Lite contain IT accessibility questions in addition to data and information security. It is not a replacement for the VPAT. It asks if a recent VPAT has been filed. Please send both the HECVAT and VPAT where possible.

The Vendor Accessibility Development Services form is a questionnaire. The questions cover how a company will provide accessible EIR yet to be developed (or created). They are only used to review companies who develop or design electronic and information resources (EIR).

While the name of the questionnaire includes the term "Development," it covers design services as well. See IBM Accessibility Toolkit for good examples of development considerations and design considerations. Companies do not have to go into that much detail in the questionnaire. They can link to procedures or attach them, if available.

Note: A new option for providing this information comes in the form of a Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT). The most recent versions of HECVAT Full and HECVAT Lite contain the same questions as on the questionnaire above. The HECVAT is beneficial for reviewing several IT compliance areas. It was originally for cloud-based computing services. It covers data and information security concerns. It can be used in the Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program (TX-RAMP) certification, so it is highly recommended documentation.

Very early. Accessibility documentation should be used in the comparison of products/services early on. This helps the Requester determine the best EIR to meet the business needs. Per Texas regulations, the most accessible EIR should be bought. Yet, EIR must meet business needs or strategic goals of the university. Justifications can be made in the exception process.

To build the case for justification, the Requester should be doing market research. If there is no competitor, they should still request the VPAT/ACR. If the EIR is not developed or designed, they should request the questionnaire.

These are handed to the accessibility specialist for review (e.g. EIRAC). These help in determining if the company will improve accessibility or provide accommodations. They also provide the Requester with the most known accessible EIR.

View the Service Portal article on How to request a VPAT from a company.

Unfortunately, 99% of the EIR available on the market are non-compliant. A 100% score is next to impossible due to:

• updates to browsers that affect compatibility with assistive technology
• updates to operating systems that affect compatibility with assistive technology
• updates to assistive technology
• unique yet reasonable accommodation needs of people with disabilities

Yet, we can address universal issues that meet most of the needs of people with disabilities. These are included in accessibility documentation

Many companies, including major corporations, are still unfamiliar with digital accessibility. All EIR are works in progress towards accessibility. Federal and state laws place the responsibility on us to educate them. Otherwise, we may potentially lose access to their products and services. It is not unusual for us to be the first to inform them of these laws.

We do not want you to miss out on innovative opportunities with EIR solutions. We want the companies to improve the accessibility of their EIR.

An accessibility specialist (e.g. EIRAC) reviews the accessibility documentation. These result in the following determinations:

• Compliant: The EIR is approved. This is based on accessibility documentation review and/or manual review.
• Non-compliant: The EIR is not approved. Executive leadership would need to review and approve an Accessibility Exception Request form.
• Exempt: Some types of EIR have an automatic exception or exemption. For example, this exemption list is maintained by Texas DIR.
• Not Applicable: The EIR does not include any user interface to review.