VPAT draft or public accessibility statement available documenting compliance claim and known gaps

Federal agencies, state governments, and public institutions are required by Section 508 2018 Refresh 508.1 to procure or develop technology that meets documented accessibility standards. A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or accessibility conformance statement is the mechanism through which conformance is communicated to procurement officers and users with disabilities. Without one, procurement evaluators cannot assess compliance, and users have no channel to report barriers or understand the scope of known gaps. Even partial documentation signals intentional governance. WCAG 2.2 SC 4.1.1 supports interoperability foundations that a VPAT codifies in policy terms.

Publish an accessibility statement at /accessibility and link it from the site footer. At minimum, the page must name the targeted standard, the last review date, known exceptions, and a contact channel:

// app/accessibility/page.tsx
export const metadata = {
  title: 'Accessibility Statement | My App',
};

export default function AccessibilityStatement() {
  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Accessibility Statement</h1>
      <p>We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance per Section 508 2018 Refresh. Last evaluated: 2025-01-15.</p>
      <h2>Known Limitations</h2>
      <p>Third-party embedded maps do not fully meet keyboard navigation requirements. We are working with our vendor on remediation.</p>
      <h2>Feedback</h2>
      <p>Report accessibility barriers to <a href="mailto:accessibility@example.com">accessibility@example.com</a>.</p>
    </main>
  );
}

For government procurement, complete the official VPAT 2.5 template from the IT Industry Council and attach it to vendor submissions.

• ID: vpat-statement
• Severity: info
• Weight: 1
• What to look for: Count all relevant instances and enumerate each. Search for an accessibility statement, VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template), or conformance report linked from the site footer, /accessibility page, or equivalent. The statement should identify the standard being targeted (WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508), note the date of last evaluation, and document any known gaps or exceptions.
• Pass criteria: A VPAT, accessibility statement, or conformance page is publicly accessible and linked from the site. At least 1 implementation must be verified. It names the standard being targeted and either claims full conformance or documents known exceptions.
• Fail criteria: No accessibility statement or VPAT is present, or the statement is present but entirely generic (boilerplate with no project-specific content).
• Skip (N/A) when: The project is a private internal tool not subject to public accessibility disclosure requirements.
• Detail on fail: Example: "No /accessibility page, footer link, or VPAT document found. No public statement of intended conformance level (WCAG 2.1 AA or Section 508) is available."
• Remediation: Publish an accessibility statement linked from the footer. At minimum include: the standard you target (WCAG 2.1 Level AA), the date of last review, and a contact method for reporting accessibility issues:

  // app/accessibility/page.tsx
  export const metadata = { title: 'Accessibility Statement | My App' };
  
  export default function AccessibilityStatement() {
    return (
      <main>
        <h1>Accessibility Statement</h1>
        <p>We target WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance. Last evaluated: [date].</p>
        <h2>Known Issues</h2>
        <p>[Document any known gaps here]</p>
        <h2>Contact</h2>
        <p>Report issues to: accessibility@example.com</p>
      </main>
    );
  }