VPAT Repository

The issue of accessible technology continues to garner attention in all sectors, and the ability to ensure its provision in educational settings is a topic of keen interest among academics, library professionals, and administrators alike. To that end, the CARLI Commercial Products Committee has undertaken a project to collect and make public accessibility documentation from CARLI’s electronic resource providers, specifically the vendors’ VPAT® information, or Voluntary Product Assessment Template®.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), self-described as the global voice of the tech sector, is the creator of the VPAT®, which is the “recommended reporting format for enhancing industry-customer communications on ICT product and service conformance with relevant accessibility standards and guidelines.” The VPAT® can be completed in four editions depending on the standards and/or guidelines under consideration: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0; Revised Section 508; EN 301 549; and International.

Because completion of the VPAT® is, as the name implies, voluntary, providers may choose not to complete a VPAT® or not to make it available publicly, or to complete it in such a way as to either modulate insufficiencies or detail them fully along with details about future corrections. A procurement official unfamiliar with the product being considered for purchase might not be able to discern from reviewing a VPAT® whether the product is acceptable from an accessibility standpoint. Due to the discretionary nature of the VPAT®, it can be a useful tool in evaluating a product’s accessibility, but it should not be the sole determining factor in purchasing decisions.

With this information in mind, the CARLI Commercial Products Committee has provided the following list of VPAT® information from its providers, where available.

expand / collapse all