When UIS faculty or staff work with outside vendors—especially when buying software, digital tools, or online services—it’s important to make sure those products are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

What Accessibility Standard Do We Use?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These are rules created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to help make digital content usable for people with disabilities.

UIS must make sure all digital content, software, and apps meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 2026.

WCAG is based on four main ideas:

  • Perceivable: Information must be presented in ways people can see, hear, or otherwise sense. Examples: text descriptions for images, captions for videos, content that works in different formats.
  • Operable: People must be able to use the interface. Examples: full keyboard access, enough time to read content, avoiding flashing visuals.
  • Understandable: Content must be clear and usable. Examples: readable text, predictable navigation, helpful error messages.
  • Robust: Content must work with many devices and assistive technologies. Examples: clean code, compatibility with screen readers.

What Is a VPAT?

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document vendors provide that explains how accessible their product is. A VPAT usually includes:

  • Product Description: What the tool or service is.
  • Accessibility Standards Used: Such as WCAG 2.1 or Section 508.
  • Compliance Information: Whether the product fully supports, partially supports, or does not support each requirement—and why.

When to Request a VPAT

Whenever you are considering a new digital tool, ask the vendor for a VPAT. The VPAT helps us understand how accessible the product is, identify any barriers, and decide whether UIS can or cannot move forward with the purchase. Submit the VPAT to the Office of Digital Accessibility for review.

Exceptions Request

If you need to request an exception for a product that does not meet WCAG 2.1 AA, submit an exception request to the Digital Accessibility Review Committee.