An Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) built from the EN 301 549 edition of the VPAT is the strongest form of EN 301 549 documentation available. EN 301 549 is the harmonized European Standard for ICT products and services. It includes WCAG 2.1 A and AA (via clause 9) plus requirements from clauses 5, 6, 7, and 12. Conformance with WCAG alone does not equal conformance with EN 301 549, even for a website.
Certification
Additionally, if your digital asset is fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 AA, we can issue Accessible.org certification, which is our provider certification that speaks to WCAG conformance and the extensive evaluation behind the documentation. Note that Accessible.org certification covers the WCAG portion of EN 301 549; the ACR remains the documentation of record for the full standard, including the requirements beyond WCAG.
Legal Context
EN 301 549 is the presumptive standard for two pieces of EU law: the Web Accessibility Directive, which covers public sector websites and applications, and the European Accessibility Act, which covers a range of private sector products and services including e-commerce, banking, and e-books. When a buyer in the EU asks for proof of accessibility, an ACR built against EN 301 549 maps directly to the legal framework they are operating under.
WCAG Plus
The reason the EN 301 549 edition of the VPAT exists as its own document is that the standard contains requirements that aren’t in WCAG. For a website, the additional requirements pulled into Annex A, Table A.1 cover items such as activation of accessibility features (5.2), biometrics where used (5.3), preservation of accessibility information during conversion (5.4), two-way voice communication features (clause 6), video and audio media specifics that go beyond WCAG (clause 7), authoring tools (9.4), and documentation and support services (clause 12).
Whether each requirement applies to a given website depends on the features that website actually offers. The EN 301 549 VPAT walks through every applicable clause so the resulting ACR reflects conformance with the standard as a whole, not just the WCAG portion.
VPAT Edition
The EN 301 549 edition of the VPAT aligns directly with its namesake standard. It includes every applicable clause, including the requirements that go beyond WCAG. If your product or service is fully conformant, the resulting ACR is internationally recognized documentation that speaks to accessibility as evaluated against EN 301 549 in its entirety, not just the WCAG portion.
ACR
For background, a VPAT is a standardized template that, once filled in and completed, creates an ACR. So we have a template that accounts for accessibility and once everything’s filled out, then we have a report of accessibility.
What’s nice is this is a standardized document used across the globe by sellers and procurement agents. It allows sellers to produce evidence of accessibility and buyers to evaluate a product or service’s accessibility and compare it against competitors.
Make your product or service as conformant with EN 301 549 as possible before producing the ACR. Whatever accessibility issues exist will appear in the report, because an ACR is a full accounting of accessibility.
Think of an ACR as a mirror that reflects your product or service’s accessibility.
Audit
And so if you’re after certification, fixing the issues will be a priority.
To fix issues, you’ll need an audit where your digital asset will be meticulously and formally evaluated. The purpose of the audit is to find all of the issues. And once you find the issues, that’s when they can be fixed.
From there, the fixes need to be verified to confirm conformance. Any remaining issues are documented in the ACR with their current status.
Provider Certification
Additionally, if your digital asset is fully conformant with WCAG, we can issue Accessible.org certification which is our provider certification that speaks to your conformance and the extensive evaluation behind the documentation.
Summary
Although there is no formal EN 301 549 certification, there are options to demonstrate your product or service’s conformance with the EN 301 549 standard.
Do you need help with an audit and/or documentation?
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