Questions · Procurement, updates and cost
A university is reviewing our VPAT. What do its accessibility reviewers look for?
They read the conformance column first: at Arizona State University, any “Partially Supports” or “Does Not Support” means the product is not fully accessible, and the buyer asks for a remediation roadmap with timelines and workarounds. Reviewers also check that remarks support each level, and may verify claims by testing the product themselves.
What two public universities publish
- Arizona State University requires IT suppliers to make a completed VPAT available and tells its buyers to obtain it, review it and verify it. A “Partially Supports” or “Does Not Support” in the Conformance Level column means the product is not fully accessible; the buyer then asks for a remediation roadmap with timelines and interim workarounds, and looks elsewhere if the vendor cannot supply one.
- ASU calls VPATs self-reported claims, to be verified whenever practical: keyboard-only checks, a browser accessibility checker, assistive technologies such as a screen reader, users with disabilities if possible, or an independent third party.
- California State University, Northridge requires a VPAT for products used by a high volume of end users, and failure to provide one when requested can prevent future purchases or renewals. Its VPAT review reads the stated conformance level and the remarks supporting it, and vendors must fix their VPATs before any future purchase or renewal. Campus-wide or high-risk products also undergo an accessibility conformance test on a test instance or demo page, and vendors may be asked for a roadmap and workarounds.
What that means for your report
- Remarks a reviewer can check. ITI’s instructions ask for detailed remarks that justify each conformance level and, for Partially Supports or Does Not Support, the functions or features with issues and how they fall short, plus a description of the evaluation methods used.
- A roadmap before you are asked: dates for the gaps your report lists, and the workarounds in the meantime.
- The edition the buyer reads. ASU accepts the WCAG edition for digital and web-based products; CSUN’s page points vendors to the 508 edition. Ask before you commission the report.
- A report that survives testing: a working test account, and the release you sell, not a demo built for the review.
How ACR Desk handles this
Our ACR gives a remark for every row and, for each gap, a prioritized fix list your team can turn into the roadmap reviewers ask for; one retest within 90 days updates the ACR. We test independently, by hand with tools, a keyboard and VoiceOver with Safari on macOS; the keyboard-only and screen reader passes are run by an IAAP-certified accessibility specialist (CPWA). We don’t run tests with users with disabilities. $1,490 (WCAG edition) or $1,990 (Section 508, EU or INT), fixed, in 5 business days.
Last reviewed: October 29, 2026. Not legal advice: rules change, and your buyer’s solicitation or contract governs what they require.
Sources
Primary sources only. Each was read on October 29, 2026.
- Working with vendors and VPATs — obtain, review and verify a VPAT — Arizona State University, IT Accessibility.
- ICT Procurement — Information for ICT Vendors (VPAT review, accessibility conformance test, roadmap) — California State University, Northridge, Universal Design Center.
- VPAT® 2.5Rev WCAG edition (April 2025) — template and Essential Requirements for authors (Word file) — Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).