# What Are VPAT, ACR, and Accessibility Conformance Reports?

Last updated: 2026-09-30

Traditional Chinese version：[https://accesserty.com/ai/glossary/vpat-acr.md](https://accesserty.com/ai/glossary/vpat-acr.md)

Page version：[https://accesserty.com/en/glossary/vpat-acr/](https://accesserty.com/en/glossary/vpat-acr/)

A VPAT is a template for producing an Accessibility Conformance Report, or ACR. ACRs are often used in procurement and vendor review; they are not the same as user accessibility reports, automatic certification, or whole-product guarantees.

## In brief

- VPAT is the template; ACR is the report created from that template.
- An Accessibility Conformance Report is procurement documentation, not the same thing as a user-submitted accessibility report.
- It is often used in B2B, government procurement, and vendor assessment.
- It organizes evidence and limitations, but it does not replace testing, user feedback, or ongoing maintenance.

## Separate VPAT from ACR

VPAT stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. ACR stands for Accessibility Conformance Report, usually produced using the VPAT format.

In simple terms, VPAT is the template; ACR is the completed document for a specific product.

## Where it is used

VPAT/ACR often appears in procurement, vendor review, enterprise customer requests, or government purchasing. Buyers want to understand conformance against WCAG, Section 508, EN 301 549, or other standards.

For product teams, it can organize test results, known limitations, and improvement plans into a document that others can review.

## ACR is not the same as a user accessibility report

An Accessibility Conformance Report is conformance documentation used in procurement and vendor review. It usually describes support status, test scope, and limitations against specific standards.

A user accessibility report or accessibility issue report is a real-use clue about a barrier someone encountered, such as a form that cannot be completed with a keyboard, an unclear error message, or a PDF that is difficult to read. Both can support maintenance evidence, but they serve different purposes.

## What should you look for in a report?

Check the product and version, evaluation date, standard version, covered features, and testing methods. Then read each support status and its notes for limitations and usable alternatives.

For example, a report limited to public content pages does not establish that an authenticated payment flow works. Match the report’s scope to your intended use before relying on it.

## Do not treat it as automatic certification

VPAT/ACR is documentation, not automatic certification. Its quality depends on honest reporting, sufficient testing, clear scope, and specific limitations.

Without real testing, human judgment, and follow-up maintenance, producing a document alone will not make the product easier for end users to use.

## How it relates to Accesserty

Accesserty does not currently provide a VPAT or ACR generator. DevCheck checks, Pulse signals, and user reports can help identify issues to investigate, but they are not a criterion-by-criterion conformance evaluation or an ACR.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is VPAT/ACR a certification?

No. It is a documentation format and report describing product conformance status. It may support procurement decisions, but it is not automatic or official certification.

### Does Accesserty generate VPAT/ACR?

Not currently. Checks and reports can inform further evaluation; a procurement ACR still needs a defined scope, standard, testing methods, and criterion-by-criterion explanations.

## Related pages

- [Distinguish automated findings from manual evaluation](https://accesserty.com/en/glossary/automated-vs-manual-accessibility-testing/)
- [Organize findings, fixes, and retests](https://accesserty.com/en/guides/web-accessibility-remediation-plan/)

## References

- [ITIC VPAT](https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat)
- [W3C WAI - Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview](https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/)