VPAT and accessible courseware
Get the VPAT. Understand what it means.
A VPAT is important. But it is not the whole answer.
A VPAT can help you understand how a product supports accessibility requirements. But having a VPAT does not automatically mean the courses you create will be WCAG AA / Section 508 compliant.
The real question is whether the software helps enforce accessibility — or puts the burden on every author.
CourseAvenue guarantee
Courses created with CourseAvenue will be WCAG AA / Section 508 compliant.
If a CourseAvenue course is questioned for accessibility, we are there with you.
Get the VPAT
Need our VPAT quickly?
Download the VPAT PDF or launch the VPAT course for a more course-like view of the information.
What a VPAT does
“The author can….”
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, describes how a technology product supports accessibility requirements, including Section 508.
Most vendors have a VPAT, but still place most of the accessibility burden on the course author. Your team must know how to create accessible interactions, label controls, manage reading order, provide media alternatives, test keyboard behavior, and avoid inaccessible design patterns.
That is an author-dependent accessibility model. CourseAvenue takes a different approach.
Watch for vendor smoke and mirrors.
Be careful when a VPAT or accessibility statement relies on language like:
- “The author ca n create a text-only version of the course in another technology.”
- “Some form fields do not have labels.”
- “The radio buttons are not properly grouped therefore non-compliant”
- “The person authoring the course can provide the necessary elements to make the course accessible.”
- “The author can Uuse these accessibility tips and tricks to make your course compliant.”
The CourseAvenue Studio difference
Accessibility is built into the product.
CourseAvenue assumes authors, SMEs, and program teams should not have to become accessibility engineers.
Studio was built with accessibility in the courseware process, from structure and interaction patterns to review, delivery, and maintenance.
- Structured course architecture
- Accessible interaction patterns
- Predictable navigation
- Keyboard-operable controls
- Accessible assessment structures
- Review and maintenance support
- WCAG AA / Section 508 output expectations
- Support if accessibility is questioned
Additional details
Additional VPAT and accessibility resources
The following resources provide more background on CourseAvenue’s accessibility approach, authoring model, and federal-scale learning work.
Need accessible courseware you can stand behind?
We can talk through your accessibility requirements, current courseware process, LMS environment, and how CourseAvenue helps create accessible, maintainable learning at scale.