Questions · The VPAT® and the ACR
What do Supports, Partially Supports and Does Not Support mean in a VPAT?
They are ITI’s conformance levels. Supports: at least one method meets the criterion without known defects. Partially Supports: some functionality does not meet it. Does Not Support: the majority of functionality does not. Not Applicable: the criterion isn’t relevant. GSA treats both Partially Supports and Does Not Support as not conforming, so remarks must say where.
The definitions, and how buyers read them
The definitions are ITI’s, from the essential requirements of VPAT® 2.5Rev; a report must list them and note any change to them. The right-hand column summarizes GSA’s guidance to federal buyers.
| Term | ITI’s definition | GSA’s reading for buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Supports | “The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.” | The product fully conforms with the relevant standard. |
| Partially Supports | “Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.” | The product does not conform; examine which aspects fall short. |
| Does Not Support | “The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.” | The product does not conform; exercise caution. |
| Not Applicable | “The criterion is not relevant to the product.” | Not a failure; check why the criterion doesn’t apply. |
| Not Evaluated | “The product has not been evaluated against the criterion.” Allowed only for Level AAA. | Gives no assurance of accessibility. |
Three details that trip up vendors
- Partially Supports is not a softer Supports. One failing feature — a date picker that can’t be operated by keyboard, say — makes the row Partially Supports, and ITI says the remark should identify the functions with issues and how they fall short.
- Supports can apply when there is nothing to test. Following WCAG’s conformance rules, ITI notes that a criterion with no content to apply to is satisfied, so “Supports” may be used where “Not Applicable” seems natural.
- 4.1.1 Parsing is settled in advance: for WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, ITI’s template says to answer Supports, following the September 2023 errata; WCAG 2.2 removed the criterion.
How ACR Desk handles this
Every row in our ACRs gets a level and a specific remark; Partially Supports and Does Not Support rows name the screen, the element and the failure. We don’t change a level because it is inconvenient. Our sample shows the mix an honest report can have: 23 Supports, 18 Partially Supports, 5 Does Not Support, 4 Not Applicable.
Last reviewed: September 30, 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 September 30, 2026.
- VPAT® 2.5Rev WCAG edition (April 2025) — template and Essential Requirements for authors (Word file) — Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).
- Understanding Vendor Claims in Accessibility Conformance Reports for Section 508 Conformance — Section508.gov, GSA.
- How to Create an Accessibility Conformance Report Using a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®) — Section508.gov, GSA (reviewed/updated June 2026).