Accessibility Governance
Effective accessibility programs require organizational commitment backed by governance structures that assign ownership, define expectations, and ensure accountability.
Executive Sponsorship
Accessibility programs without executive support rarely sustain. Identify an executive sponsor who can champion accessibility budgets, resolve cross-team conflicts, and signal organizational commitment.
- Designate a Chief Accessibility Officer or equivalent
- Include accessibility in executive KPIs
- Establish an accessibility steering committee
- Report accessibility metrics at the board level
Accessibility Working Groups
Cross-functional teams that include representatives from design, engineering, QA, legal, and communications ensure accessibility is addressed across all product touchpoints.
- Define working group charter and authority
- Meet regularly with documented agendas and minutes
- Assign accessibility champions per team
- Review and approve accessibility-related decisions
Accessibility Policies
Documented policies establish baseline expectations and demonstrate organizational intent. Policies are often the first thing requested in litigation discovery.
Accessibility Policy Framework
A comprehensive accessibility policy should define scope, standards, responsibilities, and enforcement mechanisms.
- Reference specific WCAG version and conformance level (e.g., WCAG 2.2 AA)
- Define which products and services are in scope
- Assign responsibility by role
- Establish review and update cadence
- Include exception and accommodation procedures
Accessibility Statements
Public accessibility statements demonstrate transparency and good faith. They should be accurate, current, and include contact information for accessibility feedback.
- Publish on every product or website
- State the applicable standard and conformance level
- Disclose known issues and timelines for remediation
- Provide a contact mechanism for accessibility concerns
Procurement Requirements
Third-party products and services are a significant source of accessibility risk. Procurement controls are essential to managing inherited liability.
Vendor Accessibility Requirements
Require accessibility conformance as a procurement condition. Review VPATs before purchase and include accessibility warranties in contracts.
- Require current VPAT (ACR) from all software vendors
- Include accessibility conformance in RFP/RFQ requirements
- Add accessibility warranty and indemnification clauses to contracts
- Establish pre-purchase accessibility evaluation processes
Evaluating VPATs
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) that says "Supports" for every criterion without evidence is a red flag. Learn to read VPATs critically.
- Verify the VPAT covers the correct WCAG version
- Look for specific "Does Not Support" disclosures
- Request testing evidence or audit reports
- Conduct independent testing before major purchases
Training Programs
Accessibility knowledge must be distributed across all roles that influence product design, development, and content creation.
Role-Based Training
- Developers: Semantic HTML, ARIA, keyboard navigation, accessible JavaScript patterns
- Designers: Color contrast, focus management, accessible component design
- Content authors: Alt text, heading structure, plain language, accessible documents
- QA testers: Assistive technology testing, automated and manual testing techniques
- Product owners: Accessibility requirements, acceptance criteria, risk assessment
Training Documentation
Training completion records are valuable evidence in litigation. Document who received training, when, and what was covered.
- Maintain training completion logs by employee
- Require periodic refresher training
- Document training materials and updates
- Include accessibility in onboarding programs
Testing Strategies
A comprehensive testing strategy combines automated scanning, manual evaluation, and assistive technology testing.
Automated Testing
Automated tools catch approximately 30–40% of WCAG issues. They are essential but insufficient on their own.
- Integrate axe-core into CI/CD pipelines
- Use browser extensions for developer testing (axe DevTools, WAVE)
- Run automated scans on every build
- Track and trend automated findings over time
Manual and Assistive Technology Testing
- Keyboard-only navigation testing
- Screen reader testing (NVDA + Firefox, JAWS + Chrome, VoiceOver + Safari)
- High contrast and zoom testing (up to 400%)
- Voice control testing (Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Voice Control)
- Testing with actual users with disabilities
Continuous Monitoring
Accessibility is not a one-time audit. Monitoring ensures new content and features maintain accessibility standards.
Monitoring Program Design
- Schedule regular automated scans of production environments
- Include accessibility in sprint ceremonies (definition of done, acceptance criteria)
- Monitor accessibility feedback channels
- Review and triage accessibility bug reports on a defined cadence
- Publish periodic accessibility progress reports
Regression Prevention
New releases frequently introduce accessibility regressions. Prevent regressions through process controls.
- Require accessibility sign-off before release
- Add accessibility acceptance tests to automated test suites
- Review accessibility impact in change management processes
- Maintain a known-issues log and remediation roadmap