One of the key points of my new book, Digital Accessibility and Compliance, is that material compliance (that is the actual accessibility requirements side of compliance) comes down to WCAG 2.1 AA conformance.
In the ADA Title II web rule, WCAG 2.1 AA was named specifically as the adopted technical standard for compliance.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) doesn’t mention the Web Content Guidelines (WCAG) anywhere in the Directive, but if you look at the Annexes section, you see the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) emphasized. Those principles come straight from WCAG. And, if you look even closer, you’ll see the technical requirements in Annex I line up very nicely with WCAG 2.1 AA.
Again, what to do accessibility-wise is very simple.
This is why when someone throws out the “things are always changing” line and adds, “it’s hard to stay on top of this,” I always disagree.
If you want to say WCAG is difficult to learn, I can see that.
But to act like new laws and regulations and the looming WCAG 3.0 is overwhelming is to create a story that isn’t there.
P.S. By the time WCAG 3.0 / Silver sees the light of day in 4-5 years, there’s a good chance it’s irrelevant.
Anyway, material compliance comes down to WCAG 2.1 AA conformance.
And tracking digital accessibility means knowing exactly where you stand with WCAG conformance at any moment. So to start, you just need an audit that’s conducted using the WCAG 2.1 AA standard.
From there, tracking compliance essentially comes down to tracking the issues in your audit report.
This is where Accessibility Tracker comes into play.
Tracker transforms your audit report into a dynamic tracking system that shows real progress toward compliance. This is in stark contrast to most digital accessibility platforms which are based on scan percentages.
Let’s discuss accurately tracking WCAG conformance and material compliance further.
| Benefits | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Audit-Based Tracking | Track real accessibility issues from manual audits, not incomplete scan data that misses 75% of WCAG problems |
| Multi-Asset Management | Monitor accessibility across websites, mobile apps, and web applications from a single dashboard |
| Status Labels | Track each issue through seven distinct statuses: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Validated, On Hold, Needs Work, Discarded |
| Progress Analytics | See completion percentages, issue distribution, and team performance metrics in real-time |
| Monthly Reports | Generate automated compliance documentation showing fixes, validations, and progress over time |
Table of Contents
The Problem with Scan-Based Tracking
Automated scans create a fundamental tracking problem. When your analytics dashboard shows “85% accessible,” what does that actually mean? If the scan only catches 25% of WCAG issues, your real accessibility might be far lower.
This disconnect between scan results and actual accessibility creates several problems:
- False confidence in your compliance status
- Inability to demonstrate real WCAG conformance
- Misleading progress reports to stakeholders
- No clear path to full compliance
Accessibility Tracker starts with comprehensive audit data instead. When you upload your manual audit report, every tracked issue represents a real accessibility barrier that needs addressing. Your progress metrics reflect genuine movement toward WCAG conformance.
Tracking Across Multiple Digital Assets
Organizations rarely have just one website to worry about. You might have a main website, a customer portal, two mobile apps, and an internal web application. Each needs accessibility tracking, but managing them separately creates chaos.
Accessibility Tracker consolidates all your digital assets into one tracking system. The dashboard shows total issues across all projects, completion percentages for each asset, and where to focus resources. You can see that your main website has 74 issues while your mobile app has 156 issues, helping you allocate team members appropriately.
The platform maintains separate project spaces for each asset while providing unified analytics. Filter to see just your iOS app issues or view everything together. This flexibility lets you track at whatever level makes sense for your reporting needs.
Seven Status Labels for Precise Tracking
Every accessibility issue moves through a clear workflow with seven possible statuses:
- Not Started: Issue identified but no work begun
- In Progress: Someone actively working on the fix
- Completed: Fix implemented and ready for validation
- Validated: Auditor confirmed the fix resolves the issue
- On Hold: Work paused due to dependencies or priorities
- Needs Work: Attempted fix requires additional changes
- Discarded: Issue determined to be false positive or not applicable
These granular statuses eliminate ambiguity about where each issue stands. When someone asks about progress, you have precise information instead of vague estimates. The validated status proves especially valuable for compliance documentation, showing external verification of your fixes.
Real-Time Progress Analytics
The analytics dashboard provides immediate visibility into your accessibility status. Track metrics that matter:
- Total issues identified across all projects
- Number of issues fixed and validated
- High-risk issues requiring immediate attention
- High-impact issues affecting the most users
- Status distribution showing workflow bottlenecks
- Team member performance and workload
These analytics update in real-time as your team works through issues. No more weekly status meetings to understand progress. Project managers can identify bottlenecks immediately and reassign resources as needed.
The visual representations help communicate progress to non-technical stakeholders. Circle graphs show completion percentages. Bar charts display issue distribution by WCAG criterion. Everything translates complex accessibility data into understandable metrics.
Monthly Progress Reports for Compliance
Compliance documentation requires more than just current status. You need historical records showing continuous improvement and commitment to accessibility. Accessibility Tracker generates monthly progress reports automatically.
Each report documents:
- Issues identified through manual audits
- Fixes completed during the reporting period
- Validations confirming successful remediation
- Remaining issues prioritized by risk or impact
- Timeline of accessibility improvements
These reports become part of your compliance documentation. For organizations working through settlement agreements or facing regulatory deadlines, the reports demonstrate measurable progress toward conformance. They show when specific WCAG success criteria were addressed, which issues received priority, and that qualified experts validated the fixes.
Team Collaboration and Accountability
Tracking becomes more complex when multiple team members contribute to remediation. Developers fix code issues. Designers address color contrast. Content editors add captions and transcripts. Without proper tracking, work gets duplicated or missed entirely.
Accessibility Tracker assigns each issue to specific team members. Everyone can filter to see only their assigned work. As issues move between team members, the platform maintains a complete history. When a designer completes visual changes, they reassign to a developer for implementation. The comment log captures all communication about each issue.
This clear ownership creates accountability. Team members can’t claim they didn’t know about an issue or that someone else was responsible. The assignment system also reveals workload imbalances, helping managers distribute work more effectively.
Tracking Validation Separately from Completion
Many tracking systems conflate “fixed” with “validated,” but these represent different milestones. Your developer might implement a fix that seems correct but doesn’t fully resolve the accessibility issue. Without separate tracking, these incomplete fixes go unnoticed until much later.
Accessibility Tracker separates completion from validation. Developers mark issues as completed when they implement fixes. Auditors then review and either validate the fix or mark it as needing work with specific feedback. This two-step process ensures fixes actually resolve the accessibility problems.
The validation tracking also helps identify patterns. If certain developers consistently need rework, they might benefit from additional training. If specific issue types frequently fail validation, your team might need better guidance on those particular fixes.
Filtering and Sorting for Focused Tracking
With hundreds of issues across multiple projects, finding specific information becomes challenging. Accessibility Tracker provides comprehensive filtering and sorting options:
- Filter by status to see all in-progress work
- Sort by WCAG criterion to batch similar issues
- Filter by team member to review individual workloads
- Sort by priority to focus on critical issues
- Filter by location to address specific pages
- Sort by validation date for compliance reporting
These filtering options let different stakeholders track what matters to them. Developers can focus on their assigned issues. Project managers can monitor overall progress. Executives can see high-level completion metrics. Everyone works from the same data but views it through their relevant lens.
Integration with Existing Workflows
Tracking accessibility shouldn’t require abandoning your existing project management tools entirely. While Accessibility Tracker serves as your dedicated accessibility tracking platform, it complements rather than replaces your broader workflow.
Export issue lists for sprint planning. Generate reports for stakeholder meetings. Track accessibility alongside other development work. The platform provides the specialized tracking that general project management tools lack while fitting into your established processes.
Building Compliance Documentation
Regulatory compliance increasingly requires documented accessibility efforts. Whether facing ADA Title II deadlines, European Accessibility Act requirements, or settlement agreement obligations, you need comprehensive tracking records.
Accessibility Tracker creates this documentation automatically through your normal workflow. Every status change, every comment, every validation gets recorded with timestamps. Monthly reports compile this information into compliance-ready documentation. When regulators or legal teams request evidence of your accessibility efforts, you have detailed records immediately available.
Key Insights
Tracking digital accessibility requires more than monitoring scan results or maintaining spreadsheets. Accessibility Tracker provides comprehensive tracking based on real audit data, not incomplete automated scans. The platform tracks issues across multiple digital assets with granular status labels that show exactly where each issue stands in your remediation workflow.
Real-time analytics give immediate visibility into progress, while monthly reports create compliance documentation. Team collaboration features ensure clear ownership and accountability. Separate validation tracking confirms that fixes actually resolve accessibility issues. With proper tracking, you know your true WCAG conformance status at any moment and can demonstrate continuous improvement toward compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does audit-based tracking differ from scan-based platforms?
Audit-based tracking uses comprehensive manual audit results that identify all WCAG issues. Scan-based platforms only track the 25% of issues that automated tools can detect, providing an incomplete picture of your accessibility status.
Can I track multiple websites and apps in one account?
Yes, Accessibility Tracker supports unlimited projects depending on your subscription level. Track websites, mobile apps, web applications, and other digital assets from a single dashboard with consolidated analytics.
What happens when an issue fails validation?
When an auditor marks an issue as “Needs Work,” they add specific feedback about what still needs fixing. The issue returns to the developer’s queue with this guidance, maintaining the complete history of attempted fixes and feedback.
How do monthly progress reports help with compliance?
Monthly reports document your accessibility improvements over time, showing which issues were fixed when and who validated them. This creates an audit trail for regulatory compliance, settlement agreements, or internal governance requirements.
Can team members see each other’s assigned issues?
Yes, team members can view all project issues but can filter to see only their assignments. This transparency helps teams coordinate work and identify when someone needs assistance with their assigned issues.
How long does historical tracking data remain available?
All tracking data remains available throughout your subscription. You can review progress from months ago, generate historical reports, and maintain complete documentation of your accessibility efforts over time.
