What's a VPAT?
VPAT stands for "." It's the standard document used to demonstrate compliance with听. WCAG compliance is a legal requirement for many organizations (including听). Note that Quebec's accessibility standard (the听Standard sur l鈥檃ccessibilit茅 des sites Web) is only available in French.听
Technically, VPAT refers to the empty template. Once it's filled out, the appropriate term is ACR (which stands for Accessibility Conformance Report). However, VPAT is a widely used term and most organizations will recognize that you want a听肠辞尘辫濒别迟别诲听template if you ask about a VPAT.
Do I need one?
Every McGill site or application should have an accessibility assessment in order to make sure we comply with听. However, IT typically handles this for centrally managed platforms (including the WMS). This is another good reason to听choose an existing, centrally supported system rather than building a custom site or application.听
If you're using (or plan to use) a McGill-branded system that听isn't听centrally managed, your project will need an ACR. This includes:
- Licensed software
- Websites outside the WMS (including those built in WordPress or Drupal)
- Applications that aren't developed or managed by McGill IT staff
As the owner or sponsor of a website or application, it's your responsibility to make sure that a VPAT assessment is done and the ACR is kept up to date.听Take a look at our "How to use a VPAT template" resource to learn how.听
Helpful resources
Does this seem like a lot to handle? Maybe you should听consider building your website in the WMS听or another centrally-managed platform.听听to learn more about your options.听
Want to do a deep dive into digital accessibility? The听"How to use a VPAT template" resource听will show you how to prepare or evaluate an ACR (depending on what works for your project).听McGill's accessibility page听also has tons of helpful links, resources, and tools.听
