You have a VPAT in front of you. The product was pitched as fully accessible. The document looks polished. But how do you know if it holds any weight? VPATs, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates, are often where vendors start. But they are only useful if they are filled with care, tested properly, and written with transparency. In this post, we break down how to spot quality and call out gaps that matter.
What to Look For
A well-crafted VPAT gives you more than just a row of checkboxes. It tells you what was tested, how it was tested, and what limitations were found. Here’s how to read between the lines:
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Check the remarks column
This is where real testing evidence should be. If all you see is “Supports” repeated endlessly, that’s a red flag. You want clear explanations, details on features, and any known barriers. -
See who authored it
Was it created in-house, by a consultant, or by a third-party audit firm? Third-party evaluations tend to carry more weight and offer more objectivity. -
Look at the testing methodology
Did they mention assistive technology like NVDA or JAWS? Was there keyboard-only testing? If no tools or methods are listed, that VPAT is incomplete. -
Mind the date
Accessibility is not a one-time fix. If the report is over a year old, especially for actively developed products, ask for an updated version.
A Real-World Example
In one case, a vendor’s VPAT stated that all interactive components were WCAG-conformant. On paper, it looked great. But when tested by real users, the product broke down.
Flashcard interactions failed completely with screen readers. Timelines were inaccessible. Knowledge checks could not be completed without a mouse. And none of these issues were reflected in the VPAT.
This is not uncommon. VPATs can reflect intent, not implementation. They are only as reliable as the effort behind them.
The Takeaway
A VPAT is not a compliance certificate. It is a communication tool. Your job is to ask what stands behind the statements.
Because if all you see is “Supports with exceptions” and no details, what you’re holding may be a brochure, not a conformance report.
Next up: how to turn this knowledge into action by asking better questions and building accountability into your vendor conversations.
