By: Eve Hill
Don’t wait for customer complaints or threats of legal action to ensure your organization is digitally accessible. Once protocols are in place, maintaining them will become part of your standard operating procedures. Websites and mobile apps are always growing and changing, so maintaining accessibility over time needs to be built into your organization’s process for content and functional updates.
If you are part of a local or state government agency, a new regulation lays out specific standards for accessibility and a 24-36 month timeline allowed for implementation. Read our post about this ADA rule. Private businesses are still required to provide “effective communication” to people with disabilities.
There are several Best Practices for Compliance – below is an overview of the path to digital accessibility.
- Step 1: Assign team members to champion and lead the process. A high level leader should instigate and oversee the accessibility policies and procedures and report on progress to the C-suite.
- Step 2: Conduct an audit using both automated and manual testing. An initial audit of your web and mobile application platforms will identify where design and programming changes are needed for compliance.
- Step 3: Train developers and content creators. Developers and content creators will need training so they can anticipate, identify, design and program to the new standards. Expertise should be available on demand.
- Step 4: Weave accessibility into your content. When making posts to your website, make sure you check that your content is accessible before posting. Implementing gatekeeping process will stop inaccessibility from creeping into your website.
- Step 5: Set Priorities for Remediation. Identify what is most important to your customers and what barriers are most significant and work on those first.
- Step 6: Express your commitment to accessibility. Develop and disseminate a formal accessibility policy and add an accessibility statement to your online presence. It lets everyone know that you have made accessibility a priority, but it also gives people a path to make requests or complaints. You will need a clear process for response and escalation of these issues as needed.
Remember, becoming accessible is not just a one-time effort. Once everything is in place, you still need to schedule periodic audits, including both automated and user testing. It is particularly important to involve “user testers” – people with disabilities who can explore your systems and tell you exactly where barriers exist. This valuable feedback can help identify the real-world problems and establish priorities.
You could research and develop inclusivity protocols on your own, but the process can be long and difficult. Groups like ours have a high level of expertise that can make the process far quicker, easier and ensure the approach integrates smoothly with your organization’s workflow. A third party leading the charge may also make it easier to introduce accessibility upgrades and get your team on board..Inclusivity Strategic Consulting advises organizations on internal policies, procedures, accountability mechanisms, and procurement systems that make sure technology starts accessible and stays accessible. Contact us to discuss your needs today.