Accessibility is always intentional. It does not happen by accident. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some very intentional steps any organization can take to improve its accessibility.
Plan from the beginning: Accessibility needs to be part of the initial design process, not an afterthought. Reactive, rather than proactive accessibility always takes longer, is more expensive, and is generally an inferior experience.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive: The cheapest accessibility bug to fix is the one that never gets introduced. If you can’t prevent accessibility bugs, address them as soon as they are practical before they become problems for your disabled users.
Everyone is a stakeholder: Make sure your entire team understands the importance of accessibility and includes it in their work. Even stakeholders outside the technical side of the organization (procurement, HR, and communications, for example) have valuable things they can contribute.
Test with Real Users: Involve people with disabilities in your testing process to get authentic feedback based on lived experience.
Stay Up-to-Date: Accessibility standards and their application to new programming frameworks is constantly evolving. To be intentional about learninga) Stay informed by following experts and advocates in the accessibility field with strong advocacy records.
b) Follow pending court cases in the jurisdictions that matter to the organization.
c) Don’t assume laws outside the organization’s location don’t apply. The laws that apply are frequently the laws where the customers are, not where the organization is.
Say No to Overlays: Overlays are (currently) largely garbage and do more harm than good. Good accessibility requires commitment and effort, not buying into others’ made-up marketing, writing a small check, and thinking you are done.Alt: Accessibility is never accidental.