An Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) documents the current accessibility state of your product or service against a technical standard, while an audit report details every accessibility issue found and how to fix it. You need an audit to create an ACR, so the two work together but do different jobs.
First, let’s start with a VPAT.
| Document | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| VPAT | The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template you download and fill in. On its own, it is a blank standardized form. |
| ACR | The Accessibility Conformance Report you get once the VPAT is completed. It mirrors your accessibility status for buyers and procurement agents. |
| Audit report | The detailed evaluation that lists each accessibility issue, the related WCAG success criterion, and steps to fix it. It feeds the ACR. |
Table of Contents
What Is a VPAT?
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is just that, a template. You can download a VPAT right now from the ITIC.org website. It is a standard document that lets us account for accessibility in a uniform way.
When we fill in the applicable details and complete the accessibility table of the VPAT, the resulting document is an ACR. The terms VPAT and ACR are used interchangeably in the marketplace, but when people say they want a VPAT, they usually mean they want an ACR.
What Is an ACR?
An ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) is the completed VPAT. Here is what matters most about ACRs:
- They document your current accessibility state
- You do not need zero issues to have an ACR
- They carry the most weight when issued by an independent third party
Think of an ACR as an accounting of your product or service’s accessibility. Whatever the current state of accessibility is, that is what shows up in the ACR.
Some people think it is a certification, and it could be read that way if your product is fully conformant with WCAG or another technical standard. A better way to think of an ACR is as a mirror. It reflects whatever the current state of accessibility is when the digital accessibility company audits your product.
What Is an Audit Report?
For us to create your ACR, we must audit your product or service against a technical standard, usually WCAG 2.1 AA or WCAG 2.2 AA. The audit is a thorough evaluation where a technical accessibility expert inspects and reports on every instance of nonconformance against that standard. Those accessibility issues show up in your audit report.
An audit report differs from an ACR in two main ways:
- An audit report is not a standardized document. An ACR contains two columns for each criterion, conformance level and remarks and explanations. Audit reports vary, so our report will likely look different from one produced by another digital accessibility company.
- An audit report is more detailed. Ours includes the issue description, the screen or page location, the applicable WCAG success criterion, related code, screenshots or clips, and recommendations for fixing each issue. An ACR does not carry that level of detail. It simply accounts for accessibility.
How Does the Process Work?
Here is the key to relating these concepts: you need an audit to create an ACR. So when clients come to us for VPAT/ACR services, the process is to first audit and then carry those results into the VPAT format, where we also fill in the applicable details.
The audit uses several evaluation methodologies, including screen reader testing, keyboard testing, visual inspection, code inspection, browser zoom testing, and color contrast analysis, with an automated scan only as a secondary check. We deliver clients the ACR and the underlying audit report. That second document is a real value add because it lets clients act immediately and begin fixing accessibility issues. Whether you choose Accessible.org or another provider, make sure you also receive the audit report.
When Should You Schedule the Audit and the ACR?
Sometimes clients are in a hurry and just need to hand their customer the ACR. In those cases we move quickly. But where possible, we recommend a staggered timeline, because then clients receive the initial audit, make fixes, and let us re-audit the fixes through a validation step.
This expanded timeline means the ACR shows fewer accessibility issues, and sometimes none at all, by the time it reaches the buyer. For teams managing this work across products and services, the Accessibility Tracker platform makes it easy to track remediation, mark issues as fixed, and request validation before a new ACR is generated.
Why Does an Independently Issued ACR Matter?
While you can technically create your own ACR, procurement agents typically ask who issued it. Self-issued ACRs carry very little weight because of potential bias and the tendency to underreport issues. That is why most organizations get ACRs from reputable third-party providers, which immediately excludes companies that sell overlay widgets.
This pattern holds across markets shaped by the ADA, Section 508, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA), where buyers increasingly expect accessibility documentation before they will consider a product or service.
What Do These Documents Cost and How Long Do They Take?
Our audits are priced by scope, approximately $100 – 250 per primary page or screen, and our WCAG edition VPAT service is $350. The typical timeline is two weeks, with a faster turnaround available via expedited service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an ACR the same as a VPAT?
No, A VPAT is the blank template. An ACR is the completed report you get once the VPAT is filled in. The terms are used interchangeably, but a request for a VPAT means a request for an ACR.
Can you have an ACR without an audit?
No. The accessibility table can only be filled in accurately after an audit. The audit identifies the issues, and those findings become the conformance levels and remarks in the ACR.
Does an audit report replace an ACR?
No. They serve different audiences. The audit report guides your development team through fixing issues. The ACR gives procurement agents a standardized snapshot of accessibility for comparing products and services.
Do you have to fix every issue before getting an ACR?
No. An ACR can document partial conformance, and buyers understand that products and services have varying conformance levels. You can also fix issues first, have them validated, and then issue a cleaner ACR.
Who should issue your ACR?
A reputable, independent digital accessibility company. Independent issuance removes the bias of self-assessment and gives procurement agents confidence that the ACR reflects real WCAG conformance.
Summary
You need a VPAT and an audit to create an ACR. The VPAT is the template that we fill in and the only way we can complete the VPAT is to audit the product or service.
Need help with an accessibility audit or ACR? We provide both – and we keep the process simple and straightforward.
Contact us to get a quote on your project.
