VPAT Development: Accessibility Report Template

VPAT Development — Accessibility Report Template

When participating in tenders for US government agencies or commercial procurement of large corporations, without a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) the application is automatically rejected. Manually preparing this report takes weeks and requires deep knowledge of WCAG and Section 508 standards. We create a turnkey VPAT: conduct an accessibility audit, document each criterion, and prepare the final report suitable for customers. As a result, you get a document that not only opens access to government contracts but also increases trust among users with disabilities. Our VPAT preparation service starts from $2,500, depending on product complexity, and automation can reduce manual effort by up to 40% compared to traditional methods.

VPAT Versions

VPAT templates are available on the IT Industry Council (itic.org) website. The version choice determines the audit requirements.

Why VPAT is Mandatory for Government Procurement?

Government contracts in the US and Europe require accessibility confirmation. Lack of VPAT leads to application rejection or penalties up to 10% of the budget. Companies ignoring this lose access to million-dollar contracts. Our experience shows: even partial compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA significantly increases chances of winning. Time and budget savings through draft automation — up to 40%.

Risks of Not Having VPAT

In addition to fines up to 10% of the budget, lack of VPAT blocks participation in procurement from giants such as US government IT systems (GSA) and European state structures. Reputational risks: users with disabilities may file a complaint about website inaccessibility, leading to lawsuits. In some jurisdictions, the absence of a report equates to violating disability law (e.g., ADA in the US).

VPAT Structure

VPAT consists of tables for each WCAG section. For each criterion, the support level is indicated:

Components of an Accessibility Audit

The audit is the foundation of VPAT. We conduct systematic manual testing with screen readers (NVDA + Firefox, JAWS + Chrome, VoiceOver + Safari) and automated tools (axe-core, WAVE). All WCAG Success Criteria at Level A and AA are checked: keyboard navigation, contrast, semantics, animations, alternative text, ARIA attributes. Special attention is paid to critical errors: missing focus, keyboard traps, unreadable contrasts.

VPAT Preparation Process

Step 1: Product Audit

A systematic manual test is performed with screen readers (NVDA + Firefox, JAWS + Chrome, VoiceOver + Safari) and automated tools (axe-core, WAVE). We test all sections: keyboard navigation, contrast, semantics, animations.

Step 2: Filling Criteria For each WCAG Success Criterion (78 total for Level AA in 2.1):

1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) Criteria: Supports Remarks: All images have appropriate alt text. Decorative images use empty alt="" attribute. Complex charts include long description via aria-describedby. 

Step 3: Documenting Limitations

1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA) Criteria: Partially Supports Remarks: Most text meets 4.5:1 contrast ratio requirement. Exception: placeholder text in form fields uses #9ca3af on white background (2.7:1 ratio). Fix planned in upcoming release. Workaround: Users can use browser high contrast mode. 

Accelerating VPAT Preparation with Automation

Automatic VPAT filling is 2-3 times faster than manual, but accuracy requires manual verification. Use a script to generate a draft:

// scripts/generate-vpat-draft.js // Based on axe-core report, generate a VPAT draft const WCAG_CRITERIA = require('./wcag-criteria.json'); // List of all criteria async function generateVpatDraft(axeReport) { const violations = new Set(axeReport.violations.map(v => v.tags).flat() .filter(t => t.startsWith('wcag'))); const draft = WCAG_CRITERIA.map(criterion => ({ id: criterion.id, title: criterion.title, level: criterion.level, support: violations.has(criterion.wcag_tag) ? 'Partially Supports' : 'Supports', remarks: violations.has(criterion.wcag_tag) ? `Automated testing found issues: ${axeReport.violations.filter(v => v.tags.includes(criterion.wcag_tag)).map(v => v.description).join('; ')}` : 'No issues detected in automated testing. Manual verification recommended.', })); // Generate Markdown return draft.map(c => `### ${c.id} ${c.title} (Level ${c.level})\n\n**${c.support}**\n\n${c.remarks}\n` ).join('\n'); }