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Woman in wheelchair - CourseAvenue eLearning and Accessibility Platform

Get a copy of our VPAT and learn how to see thru vendor smoke and mirrors

VPAT ASAP

  • Are you in a hurry and just want a .pdf of our VPAT?  Then you can download it by clicking this link.

  • Want to see something different?  Click this link to launch our VPAT “course”. 

What is a VPAT?

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or “VPAT” is a document that technology providers are required to complete that defines how their product(s) meet Section 508 compliance.

Make Sense of Vendor Smoke and Mirrors

Are you making the biggest, most common mistake when it comes to understanding a VPAT?  If you believe that because a company HAS a VPAT – their product will ensure Section 508 compliance you would be wrong.  The "real" question is:  "What does their VPAT actually say?"

Here are some examples of deceptive text you might see in a VPAT:
 
  • “We achieve Section 508 compliance by letting you create a text-only version of the course in another technology..."
     

  • “…some form fields, such as on the Short Answer quiz, do not have labels and the radio buttons on the True and False quiz are not properly grouped.”
     

  • “The person authoring the course can provide the necessary elements to make the course accessible…”
     

  • Building alternative versions of a course or relying on reams of “tips and tricks”, “accessibility how-to guides”, etc.


It does not have to be that way.

The CourseAvenue Studio Difference

Other authoring products generally require the author to be “all-knowing” when it comes to accessibility,  especially about Section 508, WCAG 2.1, etc. These products assume that the author is already an accessibility expert.

 

Some vendors offer courses, extensive how-to’s, “tips and tricks," etc. 

 

In short, it is a lot of work to produce an accessible course using these other authoring tools. 

CourseAvenue users do NOT need to be “all-knowing” accessibility experts. 

Why? 

Because CourseAvenue spent the time to embed accessibility into the core product.

 

Consider this simple example: 

Want to enable learners to “try again” if they miss a question?  Fine, just check the “allow re-try” box.  When the box is checked, without the author even knowing about it - our technology then applies all of the accessibility elements necessary to inform the learner, who might be using assistive technology that they in fact can try again.  Un-check the box and unbeknownst to the author, the assistive elements change back. 

Learn more about CourseAvenue’s built-in accessibility. Contact us today using the form below.

Man in wheelchair - CourseAvenue eLearning and Accessibility Platform

Learn how:

  • Accessibility is built into every course.

  • Courses are easy to manage, edit, and update right out of the box.

  • No more guessing.

  • No more expensive remediation.

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Author, manage, track, and deliver accessible eLearning at scale. Schedule a demo today.

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