Article updated on Nov. 11, 2022 For those familiar with generating or receiving compliance reports on the accessibility of technology products, the VPAT, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is a familiar term.  The VPAT form was created by the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council for companies to report how well their technology products and services meet widely adopted accessibility standards. The completed form is called an Accessibility Conformance Report, or ACR, though many may still refer to it as a VPAT. Though the VPAT form is voluntarily completed by product ven ..read more

For those familiar with generating or receiving compliance reports on the accessibility of technology products, the VPAT, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template is a familiar term.  The VPAT form was created by the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council for companies to report how well their technology products and services meet widely adopted accessibility standards. The completed form is called an Accessibility Conformance Report, or ACR, though many may still refer to it as a VPAT. Though the VPAT form is voluntarily completed by product vendors, it is often required as par ..read more

For Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2022, let’s give a shoutout to designers, who play a critical role in accessibility. IBM Accessibility is proud to offer new free tools for accessibility in the everyday work of designers. The tools support both applications and web content. Streamlined designer guidance in the Equal Access Toolkit Accessible Design Kit for Figma Accessible Design Kit for Sketch (demo) Accessibility topics designed for designers The IBM Equal Access Toolkit is both an introduction and handy reference resource for practicing inclusive design. This major new release is ba ..read more

The IBM Accessibility Design Kit is available on Sketch and will soon be available on Figma. Today is International Persons with Disabilities Day, which provides an opportunity to further reflect on IBM’s contributions to accessibility and inclusivity when it comes to the ever-evolving world of technology and design. I am the Lead UX Designer for IBM Accessibility. I am an inclusive design advocate. I also happen to be a profoundly deaf, bilateral cochlear implant wearer. This year, my team and I have been devising tools to educate and enable tech team designers so that they can make their wor ..read more

When I began working with the IBM Accessibility team a few years ago, I asked a smart IBMer what the team needed to do to help IBMers to create more accessible products. His response was that we needed to stop telling people that creating inaccessible products would get them sued. Instead, we needed to get them to take the matter to heart. They should be empathic, or even better – excited, about making their product better for everyone. So, we took a positive approach. Last year we released our IBM Equal Access Toolkit and introduced the idea of levels for accessibility. Start here. Get a litt ..read more

Hands up if you know what a VPAT is. Although the concept of accessibility is pretty familiar these days, some of its acronyms are not. Even if you can tell me that VPAT® stands for Voluntary Product Accessibility Template®, chances are you could use some help writing or interpreting one. At least, that’s the conclusion reached by US federal agencies, who asked the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) for new training videos on these important templates, which are used to report a product’s accessibility. The agencies were finding widespread inconsistencies in ho ..read more

Happy 2021!  To kick off the new year at IBM Accessibility, we had a soft launch of our new IBM Requirements page (formerly known as the IBM Accessibility Checklist).  The IBM Accessibility Requirements are a unified list of requirements that incorporate several accessibility standards and regulations. IBM product offerings, applications, websites, learning materials, and services are expected to conform to these requirements, as are third-party products purchased by IBM for internal use. The requirements fully cover WCAG 2.1, US 508, and EN 301 549 regulations and standards. The tea ..read more

It is with great sadness that we at IBM mark the passing of our colleague Dr. Brent Shiver. Brent joined the IBM Accessibility team in 2014 right after completing a PhD in Computer Science from DePaul University.  Creator and inventor  A talented developer, he worked on a wide range of projects, from a mobile app for requesting job accommodations to our automated accessibility test tools. Brent was also active in research, exploring ways to make automated captions more comprehensible, and publishing his work at international conferences like the ASSETS Conference on Computers and Ac ..read more

Alan was surprised not to get an interview for a banking management position.  He had all the experience and excellent references. The bank’s artificial intelligence (AI) recruitment screening algorithm had not selected him as a potential candidate, but why? Alan is blind and uses specialized software to do his job. Could this have influenced the decision?  AI solutions must account for everyone. As artificial intelligence becomes pervasive, high profile cases of racial or gender bias have emerged. Discrimination against people with disabilities is a longstanding problem in society ..read more

This October is the 75th year America has observed National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Like other “awareness months,” NDEAM spotlights a disparity in the workforce—in this case, the lower than average employment rates of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). NDEAM works to lessen this inequity through workshops, seminars, and online resources. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The United States has made significant progress, thanks to the tireless work of activists and advocates for the disabled community, but unfortunately ..read more