A client recently asked about whether or not knowledge base pages (even if hosted on a third-party website) should be included in scope for VPAT services. We let him know that, yes, any type of instructions, documentation, and support should be included in scope so long as they’re a part of the product or service.
Here’s a quote directly from the Information Technology Industry Council’s YouTube training video:
“If your product has documentation, help centers, support services such as a contact form or live chat client, these must be evaluated and reported on as well.”
That’s as clear cut as it gets.
The reason why this type of content is included is because it’s a part of the product or service.
Here’s the timestamped ITIC video:
Also, if you decide to except relevant content from the scope, this needs to be included in the Notes section of the VPAT.
Per the VPAT instructions, “Add any notes applicable to product or the report.”
One of the sub bullets beneath that reads:
“Additional information about what the document does or does not cover.”
So if instructions, documentation, support pages, etc. are left out, that should be reflected in the final ACR.
This all makes complete sense because ACRs are intended to accurately represent the accessibility status of a product or service and if certain integral aspects of the product or service are left out, that representation is skewed.
If you are filling out your own VPAT, note that Accessibility Tracker has an AI generated VPAT feature that enables you to automatically generate a VPAT based on the current status of your accessibility audit report.
You can learn more at AccessibilityTracker.com.
