Here are investments that look great in an accessibility statement:
- audit
- remediation
- validation
- user testing
- consultant
- company
- policy
- documentation
- training
- processes
- platform
Before we go over what these bullet points mean and how they demonstrate a real commitment, if you’re just starting our, keep your accessibility statement simple and straightforward.
Yes, it will be lightweight at first, but the more of the above items you can add, the more your accessibility statement can be leveraged into a win.
| Investment | Description |
|---|---|
| Audit | Comprehensive, formal evaluation against WCAG 2.1 AA that is manually conducted. Includes screen reader testing, keyboard testing, and code inspection. Results in a detailed report of all accessibility issues. |
| Remediation | Where accessibility issues identified during audit are fixed. Development background is essential for advanced code issues. |
| Validation | Confirms all fixes have been properly implemented. Expert reviews each remediated issue to ensure it truly resolves the accessibility barrier. |
| User Testing | People with disabilities test your digital asset in real-world scenarios. Experiential and practical testing can identify accessibility and usability issues not found in technical audits. |
| Consultant | Expert guidance to understand requirements, develop strategies, interpret audit findings, prioritize fixes, and establish sustainable accessibility practices. |
| Company | Sourcing to dedicated accessibility company for audits, remediation support, training, and ongoing guidance. Shows professional approach. |
| Policy | Formal commitment outlining standards, responsibilities, timelines, and procedures for maintaining accessible digital assets. Shows organizational accountability. |
| Documentation | Records of accessibility efforts including audit reports, remediation logs, VPATs, conformance statements, and testing results. Evidence of ongoing commitment. |
| Training | Educates team on WCAG and practical implementation. Training can include accessibility principles, coding, design, support, and more. |
| Processes | Systematic workflows integrating accessibility and checks into development cycle, review procedures for new content, and protocols for addressing user-reported issues. |
| Platform | Accessibility Tracker to upload audit reports, assign issues, track remediation progress, and validate fixes. Centralizes accessibility project management. |
Table of Contents
What Each Investment Means
Let’s break down what each of these accessibility investments actually involves and why they matter for your organization.
Audit
An accessibility audit is a comprehensive, formal evaluation of your digital asset against a technical standard like WCAG 2.1 AA. During an audit, a technical accessibility expert systematically evaluates your website, mobile app, or software to identify all instances of non-conformance. This isn’t a quick scan or automated test – it’s a thorough manual evaluation using multiple methodologies including screen reader testing, keyboard testing, and code inspection. The audit provides you with a detailed report documenting every accessibility issue found.
Remediation
Remediation is the process of fixing the accessibility issues identified during an audit. This involves your development team implementing the recommendations from the audit report to bring your digital asset into conformance with accessibility standards. Remediation might include adding alternative text to images, fixing keyboard navigation issues, correcting color contrast problems, or restructuring content to work properly with assistive technologies.
Validation
After remediation is complete, validation confirms that all fixes have been properly implemented. An accessibility expert reviews each remediated issue to ensure it truly resolves the accessibility barrier. If issues aren’t fixed correctly, the validator provides additional feedback. This step ensures your team’s fixes are actually resolving the issues identified in the audit report.
User Testing
User testing involves people with disabilities — typically professionals who are blind or visually impaired and using screen reader assistive technologies — testing your digital asset in real-world scenarios. Unlike an audit which is comprehensive and clinical, user testing is experiential and practical. A user tester might spend 30 minutes navigating your site with a screen reader to identify any usability issues that might not surface in a technical audit.
User testing is extremely compelling and one of the best showcases of commitment.
Consultant
An accessibility consultant provides expert guidance during your accessibility project(s). Consultants can help you in many aspects of your project: understand requirements, develop strategies, interpret audit findings, prioritize fixes, and establish sustainable accessibility practices.
Company
This refers to partnering with a dedicated accessibility company that specializes in digital accessibility services. Specialist accessibility companies provide audits, remediation support, training, and ongoing guidance. Working with an established accessibility company demonstrates you’re taking a professional, systematic approach to accessibility.
Policy
An accessibility policy is your organization’s formal commitment to digital accessibility. It outlines your standards, responsibilities, timelines, and procedures for maintaining accessible digital assets. A well-crafted policy shows you’ve institutionalized accessibility rather than treating it as a one-time project.
Documentation
Documentation includes all the records of your accessibility efforts – audit reports, remediation logs, VPATs, conformance statements, and testing results. This paper trail proves your ongoing commitment and provides evidence of due diligence. Documentation also helps maintain consistency as team members change over time.
Training
Accessibility training educates your team on creating and maintaining accessible content. This might include training developers on accessible coding practices, teaching content creators about alternative text and heading structures, or helping designers understand color contrast requirements. Training prevents new accessibility issues from being introduced.
Processes
Processes are the systematic workflows you establish to maintain accessibility. This includes integrating accessibility checks into your development cycle, establishing review procedures for new content, and creating protocols for addressing user-reported issues. Processes ensure accessibility becomes part of your standard operations rather than an afterthought.
Platform
An accessibility platform or tracker helps you manage your accessibility efforts efficiently. These tools allow you to upload audit reports, assign issues to team members, track remediation progress, and validate fixes. A platform centralizes your accessibility project management and provides visibility into your progress toward conformance.
Making Investments Work Together
While investments can be isolated purchases, they work best when implemented alongside one another to create a comprehensive accessibility program. An audit identifies issues, remediation fixes them, validation confirms the fixes, and user testing ensures real-world usability. Meanwhile, training prevents new issues, processes maintain standards, and a centralized platform keeps track of everything.
Each investment you make strengthens your accessibility statement and demonstrates a genuine commitment. Organizations that combine multiple investments show a real understanding of accessibility and demonstrate genuine commitment.
Start Here
Start simple with an audit. Even just a 3-page audit shows you’re serious about accessibility.
From here, you can sign up for our Accessibility Tracker platform for free and track your audit progress. You’ll need someone with a development background to make the advanced fixes, but the AI tools inside Tracker can help even beginners people make some fixes.
Next, hire a consultant. Even one hour of consulting from an accessibility professional can infuse years of experience into your project.
Of course, there are even more actions you can take, but, even with the above, your accessibility statement is looking stronger already.
Resources
Of course, Accessible.org has a lot to offer. Here are two very nice starting points:
- WCAG Course: training on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- Accessibility Tracker: platform with AI to help you make fixes
