Why EdTech and HealthTech Companies Must Have Their VPATs Ready
What are EdTech and Health-Tech companies?
EdTech, or educational technology, encompasses companies that provide products and services including hardware and software tools designed to enhance teaching and learning.
The increasing adoption of EdTech solutions has led to a significant shift from traditional methods like chalkboards and pens to smart boards and styluses, and from slide decks to interactive video and on-demand teaching.
EdTech helps teachers integrate new technologies into their classrooms, upgrading and improving learner-centered approaches. It also enables them to engage students in unique, innovative, and equitable ways.
Health-Tech companies, on the other hand, offer digital health services. They leverage technology such as databases, applications, mobiles, and wearables to enhance healthcare delivery, payment, and consumption. These companies also foster the development and commercialization of medical products.
To maximize the benefits of EdTech and Health-Tech solutions, service providers must strive to ensure accessibility for all customers, including those with disabilities.
HealthTech and EdTech accessibility solutions
Health-tech and EdTech accessibility refer to providing equal and easy access to health-related technologies for disabled healthcare seekers, and to educational technologies for disabled learners, respectively.
Therefore, HealthTech and EdTech accessibility solutions are products and services designed to ensure the accessibility of software and related hardware. This supports the effective and efficient provision of healthcare and education in various institutions.
With continually evolving technological solutions across industries, companies offering digital products and services must innovate to ensure their tools are not only accessible but also available to all users, regardless of disability status.
For example, in the education sector, EdTech companies and educational institutions should consider the diverse accessibility needs of current and prospective learners. Incorporating these needs into technology acquisition plans ensures that technologies are accessible to every user.
Similarly, businesses providing digital health products and services must be aware of the accessibility needs of current and prospective healthcare seekers when developing or procuring healthcare technology solutions.
Accessible EdTech is not optional
For organizations offering educational products and services, it's crucial to understand that accessible EdTech is a requirement, not an option. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandate the inclusion of people with disabilities in education.
Consequently, a fundamental aspect of any educational solution is to ensure that all learners, both current and prospective, have equal access to learning tools and EdTech.
If you are a business or organization using online platforms for education, your products or services are either already being accessed or will likely be accessed by users in markets that require specific levels of EdTech accessibility. This widespread demand makes it essential for your EdTech solutions to meet the accessibility standards established in those markets.
The best way to ensure your EdTech or Health-Tech products and services are accessible across various markets is to prepare appropriate Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs). These documents should be ready for any inquirer to review before purchasing or utilizing your solutions.
Creating the VPAT for EdTech and Health-Tech solutions
A VPAT is a self-disclosing document used for accessibility evaluation based on recognized accessibility standards. These include the Section 508 standards, the European Union's EN 301 549 accessibility standard, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
To complete a VPAT report for your EdTech or Health-Tech solution, it is advisable to get an accessibility third-party agency like ADACP to help you choose the correct VPAT template edition. There are four editions available, depending on the target markets for public procurement: Section 508 VPAT, WCAG 2.0/2.1 VPAT, EU (EN 301 549) VPAT, and International (INT) VPAT.
For EdTech or HealthTech solutions procurable by federal organizations, the Section 508 VPAT edition should be used. The VPAT EU edition is suitable for creating a VPAT report for EdTech or Health-Tech solutions that need to conform to accessibility standards for public procurement in Europe.
If your EdTech or HealthTech solution involves a website or is a web-based tool, the WCAG VPAT edition will provide benchmarks for your VPAT testing. For international procurement of EdTech or HealthTech solutions, the INT VPAT is the best choice, as it incorporates criteria and technical specifications from the WCAG VPAT, Section 508 VPAT, and EU (EN 301 549) VPAT.
Reasons for having ready VPATs for your EdTech or Health-Tech solutions
If you operate an EdTech or HealthTech company, it is essential to have ready VPAT reports for all your solutions. This applies regardless of whether your country has laws mandating accessible ICT products and services.
Ready VPATs are those that are consistently updated to reflect any changes made to your EdTech or HealthTech solutions. Here are some compelling reasons to maintain up-to-date VPATs for all your products and services:
Evidence of your commitment toward accessibility
EdTech and HealthTech companies with ready VPATs demonstrate that they conduct VPAT testing on their products and services. While creating and updating VPAT Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) is voluntary, companies that regularly certify their VPATs are widely perceived as committed to accessibility.
Updated VPATs therefore give a company a competitive edge, distinguishing them from those without such documentation. Customers with disabilities often prioritize companies with ready VPATs when making purchasing decisions.
Enhancement of brand credibility and reputation
EdTech and Health-Tech consumers frequently seek dependable and trustworthy companies or institutions when purchasing technology tools or enrolling as patients or learners.
Many public institutions also support the education of disadvantaged learners or address the healthcare needs of disadvantaged patients. These public procurement bodies, accountable to taxpayers and guided by accessibility laws, will not consider a company for placing learners or patients requiring publicly funded healthcare unless those providers have ready VPATs.
When public institutions, known for working exclusively with VPAT-ready companies, purchase your EdTech or HealthTech products or procure your services, your company’s credibility and brand reputation will significantly increase. This, in turn, will lead to increased business from even private entities.
Continuous improvement of EdTech or Health-Tech solutions
VPAT audits assist EdTech and Health-Tech companies in analyzing the accessibility of their solutions. The VPAT testing phase during VPAT preparation allows businesses to identify and rectify features in their solutions that have accessibility issues. Consequently, VPAT-ready EdTech and Health-Tech companies are continuously enhancing their offerings.
Bespoke compliance services
The VPAT testing routinely conducted by VPAT-ready EdTech and Health-Tech companies helps them pinpoint aspects of their solutions that require specialized assistance for improved accessibility. This testing enables them to focus on specific issues for an accessibility expert, rather than requiring the expert to conduct a full flaw discovery process before addressing existing problems.
Having ready VPATs thus saves EdTech and Health-Tech companies significant time and resources that would otherwise be spent on procuring accessibility experts to identify and resolve existing accessibility issues.
Need help with Health-Tech and EdTech accessibility solutions?
At ADACP, we possess extensive expertise in WCAG, Section 508, and ADA VPAT testing. Our team of accessibility testers supports various entities offering EdTech and Health-Tech solutions, including colleges, universities, and other providers.
When you partner with us, you are guaranteed high-quality and comprehensive VPAT testing and audit services. These services ensure that your EdTech or Health-Tech solutions are fully accessible for all users, including individuals with disabilities.
We also have a deep understanding of the EdTech and Health-Tech accessibility needs of people with disabilities. Furthermore, we have ample capacity to evaluate how your EdTech and HealthTech solutions conform to the diverse existing accessibility standards and guidelines.
Contact us at your convenience at (626) 486-2201 or by filling out a simple contact form. Let's discuss how we can help you become VPAT-ready. Our consultations are always free!