Summary: Accessibility options and acronyms can be confusing. I define and explain the similarities and differences between ACRs, VPATs, and audits.

Taking steps toward creating a more inclusive web is a good thing. But it can feel overwhelming.

I often hear the following statements from my clients:

• It’s overwhelming.
• Where do we begin?
• How do we figure out where we are failing?
• What do we need to create a plan?

And sometimes individuals or organizations come to me because they know they need some sort of report to work from. But they don’t know what kind of report they need.

It depends on their reason. Maybe they’ve been in a lawsuit. Maybe their client has requested proof that their website or product is accessible. Maybe they just want to do the right thing.

Whatever the reason, I talk with them to get to know their situation better and discuss their options. When it comes to reporting, ACRs, VPATs, and audits are usually the first ideas that come up.

What are they?

ACR

An Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) is a report that documents a digital product’s accessibility. It’s a final result to be shared with others.

Examples of an ACR:

• a completed VPAT
• a completed WCAG-EM Report
• an accessibility audit report

VPAT

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), as it’s name states, is a template. It’s a document that acts as a guide for evaluating how a product conforms to a specific accessibility standard or law.

The most recent VPAT version is 2.5. There are a few choices to download, Choices include guidance for Section 508, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), EN 301 549, or a combination of all three (International).

A VPAT is one way to generate an ACR. Often VPATs are considered the industry standard. VPATs can be filled out by professionals or internal employees. Details can be as specific or generic, as the organization deems necessary. It’s a lot like a checklist of criteria that states “Yes” or “No” to conformance. It’s not a certification of accessibility, but rather a statement of accessibility.

Additional VPAT Resources

• Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (Section 508 – US)
• ITI VPAT Training Modules playlist (YouTube)

Audit

An accessibility audit is a thorough evaluation of a website and its digital assets. A product may be audited, too. An audit is performed by an accessibility professional, so it holds more credibility.

It’s common for the accessibility professional to:

• follow guidance from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG),
• invite people with disabilities to help test with their assistive technology,
• comply with national laws, such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and
• perform evaluations of other potential accessibility barriers, based on experience and prior feedback from people with disabilities.

Accessibility audits provide an in-depth report, such as WCAG success criteria failures and how to remediate those failures. Sometimes auditors will create tickets in ticket tracking systems, like Jira, to help capture the details and make them actionable. Or they may create a live or recorded walk-through of their report to help the organization better understand where they are failing.

An accessibility audit could be your ACR. But, due to its size and depth, it’s typically not shared with the public. The report produced is geared toward internal use, learning, and guidance.

Which do you need?

It depends.

ACRs that use a VPAT can be created within the organization. They don’t have to take a long time or many resources to answer yes or no to criteria. They are easy to share with your customers or clients. They provide the organization a framework to evaluate their own products and create consistent reporting across the organization.

Accessibility audits produce a clearer picture of the state of your website or product. They offer an in-depth insight and specific guidance.

When starting this journey, you should ask your organization the following questions:

• Why do we need a report?
• Which standard or law do we want/need to follow?
• What needs to be evaluated? A website or a product?
• Who will create this report (internal or external expert)?
• When do we need this? Are changes happening right now that will nullify a report done now?
• What part of our site or service do we need evaluated?

Important note: Your evaluation and report are a snapshot in time. Redesigns and modifications happen, especially in agile development. Eventually, you’ll need to perform another evaluation and create a new report.

Finding Help

At this point, you may still feel overwhelmed on your accessibility journey, and need help moving forward.

If you’ve decided your organization needs an audit or a VPAT, I’m for hire.

👋 Contact me here or find me on LinkedIn to start that conversation.

Conclusion

Getting started on your accessibility journey can feel hard. Evaluating your site and products for accessibility can be a short or lengthy process. Generating a report from that evaluation gives your organization a clearer sense of how accessible your site and services are at that time. There are resources and professionals to help you learn about accessibility evaluation and reporting.

You can do this.