VPAT and Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) explained
Updated October 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Sell software, a SaaS product or a website to a US federal agency, a university or a large company, and sooner or later procurement asks for a VPAT. What they actually want is an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR): a filled-in VPAT that says, criterion by criterion, how accessible your product is. This page explains the template, its editions and how automated testing fits in. It is general information, not legal advice.
What a VPAT is
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It is maintained by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), which describes it as a template that translates accessibility standards into testing criteria. "Voluntary" refers to the vendor choosing to document its product; buyers often ask for one in procurement.
The current version on the ITI page is VPAT 2.5Rev (April 2025).
VPAT vs ACR
- VPAT — the blank template.
- ACR — the completed report. Once a product has been tested and the VPAT has been filled in with documented results, ITI calls it an Accessibility Conformance Report.
So "send us your VPAT" almost always means "send us your ACR". ITI does not certify, approve or review VPATs, and there is no submission process: you publish your ACR or share it with buyers. There is no pass or fail; the report describes the product as it is.
The four VPAT 2.5 editions
ITI offers the template in four editions, each built around different standards:
| Edition | Standards it covers |
|---|---|
| VPAT 2.5 508 | Revised Section 508 Standards (which incorporate WCAG 2.0) |
| VPAT 2.5 EU | EN 301 549, the European requirements used in public ICT procurement (WCAG 2.1 incorporated) |
| VPAT 2.5 WCAG | WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 |
| VPAT 2.5 INT | All three of the above, including WCAG 2.2 |
Which to use: US federal buyers mean the 508 edition; European public buyers the EU edition; a company that sells in both markets usually picks INT to report against everything once. A WCAG 2.2 VPAT means the WCAG or INT edition. For the US requirement itself, see our Section 508 page; for EN 301 549, see the EAA guide.
How an ACR reports conformance
For every criterion, the vendor declares one of four conformance levels: Supports, Partially Supports, Does Not Support or Not Applicable. ("Partially Supports" replaced the older "Supports with exceptions".) The exact meaning of each level is defined in the template itself.
Version 2.5 includes a column for remarks and explanations next to each level: what was tested, what fails and, ideally, when it will be fixed. The remarks are what makes a report useful: an honest "Partially Supports" with a clear remark is more useful to a buyer than a column of "Supports" nobody can reproduce.
ITI suggests that the original manufacturer is usually best placed to complete the report; a reseller or solution vendor can also complete it.
Accessibility testing for a VPAT: where automation fits
An ACR is only as good as the testing behind it. A sensible process:
- Define the scope. Which product, version, pages, flows and platforms the report covers.
- Run automated tests on every page and state in scope. Our WCAG checker tests a page against WCAG 2.2 A and AA with axe-core; the browser extension tests pages behind a login, such as a SaaS dashboard.
- Test manually what a machine cannot judge: keyboard operation, focus order, screen reader output, meaningful alternative text, captions, error handling. The routine is in how to test WCAG.
- Map results to criteria and choose a conformance level with remarks for each.
- Date and version the report, and update it when the product changes.
An automated scan is input, not an ACR. Automated rules cover only part of the WCAG criteria and cannot confirm that a criterion is met — only that certain failures were found or not found. Never copy "no issues found" from a scanner into the "Supports" column without manual evaluation. For an expert-led evaluation, see accessibility audit.
About VPAT templates and generators
ITI offers the template free of charge; use the current edition rather than an old copy. Be cautious with tools that promise to "generate" a VPAT from a scan alone: the result would rest on the small automated part of WCAG. Our product does not generate ACRs. What it does provide is weekly scans of every page and dated reports, so the automated part of your evidence stays current between manual evaluations — see pricing.
Sources
- Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), VPAT: https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat
- U.S. Access Board, Revised 508 Standards: https://www.access-board.gov/ict/
- W3C, WCAG 2.2: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
Frequently asked questions
What is a VPAT?
VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. It is a document template by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) that turns accessibility standards into criteria a vendor reports against.
What is the difference between a VPAT and an ACR?
The VPAT is the blank template. Once a product has been tested and the template has been filled in with documented results, the completed document is called an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR).
Is there a WCAG 2.2 VPAT?
Yes. According to ITI, the WCAG edition and the INT edition of VPAT 2.5 incorporate WCAG 2.2. The 508 edition covers the Revised Section 508 Standards, which incorporate WCAG 2.0.
Can an automated scan produce a VPAT?
No. An automated scan tests only part of the WCAG criteria. Its results are useful input for an ACR, but most criteria need manual evaluation before you can state Supports or Partially Supports.
Who certifies a VPAT?
Nobody. ITI does not certify, approve or review VPATs, and there is no pass or fail scale. Third-party review is optional unless a buyer requires it.