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Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT - WCAG, U.S. Section 508, & EN 301 549)
The amended Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires U.S. federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Under Section 508 of the Act, federal agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. Section 508 applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. In addition, many states have also passed accessibility laws, so Section 508 requirements are important to many state and local agencies as well.
EN 301 549 is a standard which lays out the "Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurements of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) products and services in Europe". The European Standard EN 301 549 was produced in 2014 by the three European Standardization bodies CEN, CENELEC and ETSI as a response to a request made by the European Commission (Mandate 376).
Making our products and services universally accessible to our users around the world is a core value and mission at Google. Over 1 billion people in the world have a disability. We have a responsibility to make usable, inclusive, and accessible products.
Google Cloud, and our main user experience, the Cloud Console, is no different. We are motivated every day to make our products more inclusive and more accessible for all our customers.
Quick links
List of VPATs
Google Cloud
Request a Google Cloud VPAT
A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document that explains how information and communication technology meet the Section 508 and EN 301 549 standards for accessibility based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requirements. VPATs allow public sector agencies to assess technology for accessibility when considering a purchase.
View the Google Cloud Command Line Interface (CLI) VPAT (gcloud command line tool) which covers all anticipated use cases for Google Cloud products use. This VPAT is compliant with WCAG 2.0 (Level A and AA), WCAG 2.1 (Level A and AA), U.S. Section 508, EN 301 549 and all other Web Accessibility Laws & Policies
For additional Google Cloud products VPATs, please contact the Cloud Sales team.
For information on using Google Cloud accessibility features, see Cloud Accessibility documentation.
FAQs
Does Google comply with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Conformance Levels A and AA?
Google Cloud has a long-standing commitment to accessibility. It acknowledges the importance of the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Conformance Levels A and AA, striving to meet or exceed them. This is demonstrated in the range of accessible products it offers and in the efforts it takes to improve accessibility over time.
Describe the actions taken by Google to address adherence to accessibility laws and regulations as described in question #1 above.?
Google Cloud’s approach is for additional product Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (using VPAT v2.4) to document conformance with WCAG 2.0 (Level A and AA) and then proceed to document conformance with WCAG 2.1 (Levels A and AA).
How does Google stay up to date with evolving laws and regulations for accessibility?
Google Cloud has a dedicated legal and compliance team that monitors changes in laws and regulations globally. The company also engages with communities of disabled users to better understand their needs and how changes in law and regulations affect them. This allows the company to adjust its practices and policies to comply with both the spirit and letter of those laws and regulations.
What methodology is used in accessibility testing or evaluations performed on Google's solution?
Test methodologies are set forth in the preamble of each Cloud VPAT.
Provide documentation regarding what products/services have been developed in the past to ensure accessibility?
The results are provided in the accessibility features documentation with a listing of features to ensure accessibility of the cloud platform.
Are there any open defects or issues discovered during Google's accessibility testing?
The specifics about open defects or issues discovered during accessibility testing would be detailed in each product's VPAT.
Are there any open defects or issues with a high or critical severity level?
At present, there are no open defects or issues with a high or critical severity level identified on any VPAT.
How does Google communicate updates on remediation progress?
Google Cloud communicates updates by publishing updated VPATs for the relevant service and/or as agreed with the customer in its Cloud contract.
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