UMass Boston

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

What is a VPAT?

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is a technical document prepared by product vendors that explains the extent to which a product is compliant with accessibility legislation. This document describes in detail what parts of the product meet accessibility standards. The VPAT is a voluntary program and as such, not all products have submitted VPAT documents. Having a VPAT template does not guarantee the vendor is compliant with accessibility legislation.

Why is this important?

As a diverse and inclusive post-secondary institution, it is critical that education is equitable and accessible for the UMass Boston community, including educational technologies that are used in on-campus, web-enhanced or online courses. UMass Boston’s Learning Design Services strongly encourages faculty to verify the accessibility level of any educational technology employed in their courses and proactively provide a list of VPATs for educational technology used in their courses. Having a link to VPATs listed in the course will reduce the time necessary to accommodate the user, if the need arises.

Where do I find a VPAT?

Many educational technologies, as part of their product websites, have an accessibility section. Unfortunately, others do not. Browse the vendor’s product website for accessibility resources, use Google to search for the product name and VPAT, or contact the vendor’s support to ask for the VPAT. For example, searching for Canvas and VPAT will provide a link to the Canvas VPAT by Instructure. When working with a VPAT, verify that it is up to date and that it provides an accurate description of the product’s accessibility.

When do I need a VPAT?

Instructors do not need to take any action if using educational technologies that are provided by Learning Design Services. 

If you are using an educational technology not provided by UMass Boston, viewing the VPAT before selecting the technology and adding a link to the vendor VPAT in the course syllabus is strongly recommended.