Request for VPAT for cBioPortal

[Turski, Michelle]

Hello cBioPortal developers, 

Do you have a Vendor Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for Synapse? See below for the UCSF templated email I'm supposed to send to vendors that have products we are currently using. 

Here is an example of how one Vendor handled this: https://www.atlassian.com/accessibility

Thank you and happy holidays!

_____

University of California policy and California state laws and regulations require UCSF’s digital services and content to be accessible to people with disabilities. New federal rules requiring compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA go into effect April 24, 2026, and cover all websites, applications, mobile apps, digital documents, videos, and course content.

 

As of April 1, 2025, the University of California contract terms and conditions require conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

 

Please provide a voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) or another standardized accessibility attestation for Synapse, showing conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

 

If you cannot provide a VPAT or standardized accessibility attestation now, please provide a roadmap for your product’s conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA by the compliance deadline.

Michelle Turski, PhD

Program Manager

Molecular Oncology Initiative

[Benjamin Gross]

Hi Michelle,

We are not familiar with the template and we do not maintain the Synapse system.  Is this related to the cBioPortal in some way?

Regards,

Benjamin

On Dec 2, 2025, at 3:04 PM, 'Turski, Michelle' via cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics Discussion Group <cbiop...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hello cBioPortal developers, 

Do you have a Vendor Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for Synapse? See below for the UCSF templated email I'm supposed to send to vendors that have products we are currently using. 

Here is an example of how one Vendor handled this: https://www.atlassian.com/accessibility

Thank you and happy holidays!

_____

University of California policy and California state laws and regulations require UCSF’s digital services and content to be accessible to people with disabilities. New federal rules requiring compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA go into effect April 24, 2026, and cover all websites, applications, mobile apps, digital documents, videos, and course content.

 

As of April 1, 2025, the University of California contract terms and conditions require conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

 

Please provide a voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) or another standardized accessibility attestation forSynapse, showing conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA.

 

If you cannot provide a VPAT or standardized accessibility attestation now, please provide a roadmap for your product’s conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA by the compliance deadline.

Michelle Turski, PhD

Program Manager

Molecular Oncology Initiative

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[Benjamin Gross]

Hi Michelle,

No worries.  Thanks for the follow up email.  We did do work with the NCI earlier this year to fill in some 508 gaps on the website, but as far as I know, we never have had any internal discussions around this new rulling and making a cBioPortal VPAT available.  I’ll bring this to the team and see if its something we can add to our roadmap.

Regards,

Benjamin

On Dec 3, 2025, at 11:59 AM, Turski, Michelle <Michell...@ucsf.edu> wrote:

Sorry Benjamin,

That was a copy paste error. We do have a cBioPortal instance at UCSF and per UCSF policy (and seems federal policy) there is going to be a requirement for websites, applications, mobile apps etc to have voluntary product accessibility template. cBioPortal being a web-based application will need one as well and that's what I was reaching out to you about.  

Here is a fact sheet about the new ruling: https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/. This new ruling, WCAG 2.1 AA, is the technical standard for web accessibility, while a VPAT is the document that reports a product's conformance to that standard .

It sounds like you don't currently have a VPAT.  Do you know if you are intending to draft a VPAT or roadmap (see the Atlasssian example I provided below)?

Thanks!

Michelle

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From: Benjamin Gross <benjami...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 7:31 AM
To: Turski, Michelle <Michell...@ucsf.edu>
Cc: cbiop...@googlegroups.com <cbiop...@googlegroups.com>; schu...@mskcc.org<schu...@mskcc.org>
Subject: Re: [cbioportal] Request for VPAT for cBioPortal

 

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[Turski, Michelle]

Sorry Benjamin,

That was a copy paste error. We do have a cBioPortal instance at UCSF and per UCSF policy (and seems federal policy) there is going to be a requirement for websites, applications, mobile apps etc to have voluntary product accessibility template. cBioPortal being a web-based application will need one as well and that's what I was reaching out to you about.  

Here is a fact sheet about the new ruling: https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/. This new ruling, WCAG 2.1 AA, is the technical standard for web accessibility, while a VPAT is the document that reports a product's conformance to that standard .

It sounds like you don't currently have a VPAT.  Do you know if you are intending to draft a VPAT or roadmap (see the Atlasssian example I provided below)?

Thanks!

Michelle

---

From: Benjamin Gross <benjami...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 7:31 AM
To: Turski, Michelle <Michell...@ucsf.edu>
Cc: cbiop...@googlegroups.com <cbiop...@googlegroups.com>; schu...@mskcc.org <schu...@mskcc.org>
Subject: Re: [cbioportal] Request for VPAT for cBioPortal

 

Hi Michelle, We are not familiar with the template and we do not maintain the Synapse system. Is this related to the cBioPortal in some way? Regards, Benjamin On Dec 2, 2025, at 3: 04 PM, 'Turski, Michelle' via cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics

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[Turski, Michelle]

Thanks Benjamin,

FWIW, the ruling applies to "state and local government web applications" so this would impact really any public university in the United States, I think.

I also was informed that while VPAT is the industry standard template for documenting the accessibility of an application,  it is not the only acceptable format. If you have your documentation in a different format, but it covers WCAG 2.1 AA, then it’s fine.

Hope that helps!

---

From: Benjamin Gross <benjami...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2025 5:40 AM
To: Turski, Michelle <Michell...@ucsf.edu>
Cc: cbiop...@googlegroups.com <cbiop...@googlegroups.com>; schu...@mskcc.org <schu...@mskcc.org>; Lisman, Aaron <lis...@mskcc.org>

Subject: Re: [cbioportal] Request for VPAT for cBioPortal

Hi Michelle, No worries. Thanks for the follow up email. We did do work with the NCI earlier this year to fill in some 508 gaps on the website, but as far as I know, we never have had any internal discussions around this new rulling and making

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