WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

The WebAIM Strategic Accessibility Framework
Indicator 3: Resources and Supports

Introduction to Indicator 3

Implementing an enterprise-wide web accessibility plan requires sufficient resources and support. It is crucial to provide personnel with clear and sufficient information, time, training, and support. It is also critical to align expectations, motivation, and incentives to ensure that personnel give accessibility work the necessary attention. Administrators and leadership should allocate the necessary resources to ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of the organization's accessibility plan.

Benchmark 1: Focus on Personnel

An effective plan cannot be carried out without personnel who have or develop the expertise to implement it. Organizations should focus on hiring, retaining, and supporting personnel at all levels who will help achieve its accessibility goals. This includes technical roles, accessibility-specific roles, and roles that are less technical as well. Staff members have multiple responsibilities that compete for their time and attention, so the organization needs to make sure that employees have the support they need to do the work.

Note on each Benchmark's statements of evidence:

These statements of evidence are examples and are not all required to reach a benchmark. There are many ways to align these benchmarks to an organization's culture. Understanding the general idea of the benchmark itself will support determination if it is present or not.

1. Position announcements include requirements for accessibility experience or knowledge. Role descriptions for existing personnel reflect their expected work on accessibility.

Ways to determine if this is present
  • Web accessibility is included in all relevant job descriptions and role statements.
    • If not, what percentage does?
    • What is the mechanism to add accessibility to roles where it is not currently captured?
  • Web accessibility work is outlined in job descriptions or role statements appropriate to the efforts that are expected of the individual. Note that accessibility is inherently part of roles that are not highly technical or specifically focused on accessibility. Examples include:
    • Administrators who will support web accessibility efforts across the organization.
    • Staff who will identify and upload materials into digital platforms and tools.
    • Technical staff who will be involved in designing accessible web pages.
    • Staff who will create accessible documents that will be published to the web, shared via email, or posted to social media.
    • Staff who will ensure that organizational purchases meet the accessibility standard.
  • Individuals with disabilities who will provide feedback on the outcomes.

2. The presence of incentives and motivators for staff participation in accessibility efforts

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation of organizational incentives for those participating in web accessibility work.
  • The organization employs multiple forms of incentives.
    • Recognition of individuals/groups/units for compliance or for exceeding requirements.
    • Inclusion of accessibility work in annual performance reviews.
    • Inclusion of accessibility work in annual merit raises and for consideration for promotion.
    • Other extrinsic rewards such as bonuses, products, badges, credentials, awards, etc.).
  • There are sanctions for not performing as expected with respect to producing or influencing accessible work.
  • There is evidence that the incentives are applied consistently across individuals or groups.

3. The collection of data on retention rates for personnel key to accessibility implementation

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation on the retention rates for key accessibility personnel. These can include:
    • Web accessibility task force committee members
    • Accessibility coordinators or specialists
    • Web developers
    • Procurement specialists
    • Successful accessibility advocates
    • Accessibility trainers
  • There is documentation of efforts made to retain key accessibility personnel.
  • There is information on how retention data is used, possibly including:
    • To make adjustments to the accessibility plan
    • To understand and identify problems
    • To improve retention of key accessibility personnel
  • There is documentation on steps taken to ensure that essential knowledge or understanding of the plan is not lost during personnel transitions.
  • There is evidence that data collection is sustained and ongoing.

Benchmark 2: Sufficient Time and Effort Allocated to Personnel

The process to implement accessibility takes time. Both the time and effort required for this work should be emphasized when allocating staff responsibilities. When accessibility is a new skill, staff especially need time and professional development resources to learn and practice techniques to create accessible products.

1. Roles that include accessibility are appropriate and the organization provides sufficient time and effort allocation to align with work expectations

Ways to determine if this is present
  • Roles and allocations are sufficient to ensure accessibility outcomes are achieved.
  • Accessibility expectations are a part of employee reviews and annual performance assessments.

2. The recognition of accessibility work in personnel time and effort reports

Ways to determine if this is present
  • Accessibility is reflected in all appropriate time and effort reports for:
    • Web developers
    • Disability support personnel
    • Purchasing
    • Human resources
    • Sponsored programs or contracting office
    • Staff
    • Training personnel

3. The collection and use of feedback on the sufficiency of personnel allocation for web accessibility efforts

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is evidence that feedback on personnel allocation was requested during the development stages of the web accessibility plan.
    • Was feedback collected from a variety of stakeholder groups?
    • Was that feedback used to inform the web accessibility plan?
  • There is documentation of feedback systems in place to determine if personnel allocation is sufficient to conform to the accessibility plan.
    • Is feedback collected from all impacted stakeholder groups?
      • Web developers
      • Disability support personnel
      • Purchasing
      • Human resources
      • Sponsored programs or contracting office
      • Staff
      • Training personnel
    • Are effort allocations sufficient to meet accessibility plan outcomes?
  • There is evidence that feedback data is used.
    • To evaluate and adjust the digital accessibility plan
    • To meet implementation requirements
    • To adjust project and other delivery timelines
    • To track issues that might impact the implementation plan
  • There is documentation that feedback data collection is ongoing
    • Is the information used to adjust personnel allocation as necessary?

Benchmark 3: A Budget Sufficient for Organization-Wide Efforts

Leadership should take financial requirements into account when developing the written accessibility plan and design budgets accordingly. Budgets should include consideration of necessary materials, licenses, equipment, personnel, and training. The funding necessary to fully attain and sustain accessibility should also be factored into future budgets.

1. Assessments of the adequacy of available resources

Ways to determine if this is present
  • Organizational documentation (e.g., email, reports, meeting minutes) covers key resources needed for the plan to succeed. This might include budget or resources such as:
    • Personnel time and effort
      • A point person to lead the organizational effort
      • The time and effort of web accessibility committee members
      • Other staff time commitments
      • Inclusion of digital accessibility work in staff time and effort statements and role descriptions
    • Infrastructure
      • Costs of equipment to support the point person mentioned above, as well as the hiring or reclassification process
      • Systems necessary to create or test accessibility (e.g., accessible content management systems, captioning systems, screen readers, automated testing tools, etc.)
      • Training materials or third party training for personnel
      • Accessibility consultants
      • Technical assistance and support to staff

2. A review of information or reports monitoring the use of accessibility resources

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation that accessibility resource use is monitored.
  • There is documentation on how resource overuse is dealt with.
    • Is there a protocol to alert relevant personnel?
  • There is documentation that spending on resources results in fulfillment of the accessibility plan.
    • Is spending on training, evaluation, or products producing the intended results?
  • There is documentation when spending is not properly aligned to optimal outcomes.
  • The organization evaluates the adequacy and sustainability of resources as the plan progresses. This information is then used to make adjustments to the web accessibility plan and budget.
  • There is evidence that evaluations and adjustments to the budget are sustained and ongoing.
    • Annual budgeting processes respond to information collected.
    • Amounts budgeted for resources change as resource needs change.
      • Budgets for accessibility resources fluctuate year to year

Benchmark 4: Training and Technical Support

All personnel involved in implementing enterprise-wide accessibility should be provided with the necessary knowledge, support, and materials to effectively carry out their roles. Training should match specific roles with the appropriate tools and techniques. For example, in-depth training on web accessibility will not be relevant to most staff that use Microsoft PowerPoint to create training materials. Their training should focus on accessible authoring techniques in PowerPoint instead.

1. Trainings that align with staff roles

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation on relevant accessibility training for all those who will be involved in web accessibility activities.
    • Administrators who support web accessibility efforts across the organization.
    • Technical staff who are involved in designing accessible web pages.
    • Staff who identify and upload accessible materials into site templates, apps, and management tools.
    • Staff who create accessible documents intended for the web.
    • Staff who ensure that organizational purchases meet the accessibility standard.
    • Individuals with disabilities who will provide formal feedback on the outcomes.
    • Accessibility leads who provide support and training for others.
  • Training is tailored to be appropriate to the activities of the individual groups.
  • Details from these trainings are available. Some information to consider are:
    • The dates of the trainings
    • The number of trainings
    • The number of personnel trained
    • The format of trainings
    • Participant satisfaction surveys
  • The organization tracks the percentage of staff involved in accessibility activities who have participated in the trainings.
  • There is documentation of efforts made to promote the training and improve attendance.
  • There is documentation on the efficacy of the trainings to help staff "do" the work of accessibility.
    • Feedback from trainers
    • Feedback from participants, such as understanding surveys
    • Awarding badges, credentials, or micro-credentials based on skills assessments
    • Monitoring outcomes
  • There is evidence that data on training effectiveness is used to improve efficacy.
  • Data collection is ongoing.
  • There is documentation of changes in training and information as technology evolves, roles change, and the organization changes.

2. Materials necessary to support training, technical assistance, and implementation are available to staff

Ways to determine if this is present
  • The organization offers a variety of supports.
    • Training materials
    • Technical resources
    • Accessibility evaluators
    • Assistive technologies used for testing
    • A technology lab that can be used to test for accessibility
  • Technical assistance is offered in multiple formats.
    • Professional development workshops
    • Conferences
    • Help Lines or a Help Center
    • Consultants
    • Communities of practice
    • Discussion forums
  • Materials are tailored to support different levels of knowledge and different personnel roles.
  • There is evidence that those who will need to use the materials know that they are available.
    • What efforts have been made to promote availability across the organization?

3. Technical assistance and support is used by all relevant staff

Ways to determine if this is present
  • The organization tracks the percentage of staff that have utilized technical assistance.
  • There is evidence that the materials are sufficient and useful.
    • Collecting feedback from trainers and technical support personnel
    • Collecting feedback of those that use them
    • Monitoring the accessibility outcomes of those that use them
    • Tracking use of supports offered online through metrics such as page views and time spent on pages by those that use them
  • There is evidence that data on technical assistance is used to improve efficacy.
    • Is data collection ongoing?

Benchmark 5: The Procurement, Creation, and Use of Technologies and Content That are Accessible

To create and maintain an accessible technology environment, personnel should choose tools that provide accessible experiences. Acquiring technologies that support accessibility helps to avoid perpetuating existing issues and creating new ones. Having a robust procurement policy can help ensure that personnel use the organization's resources wisely and purchase products that align with enterprise-wide accessibility efforts. This policy should apply to all types of software, including open source, freeware, and plug-ins that may not go through the traditional procurement processes.

1. Accessibility is included in procurement and purchasing documentation and decision making

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation that accessibility language is included in procurement documentation including requests for information, requests for proposal, and contracts.
    • Does the language include the technical standard to be met?
    • Does the language set clear expectations for vendors to provide documentation about accessibility in the product(s) being considered?
    • Does the language require vendors to give insight into their own accessibility practices?
    • Does the organization hold the vendor contractually accountable for delivering a product that has accessibility barriers that were not disclosed during discovery?
  • The organization accounts for accessibility in its purchase and use decisions for all types of products and services.
    • Content creation tools
    • Authoring tools
    • Content management and delivery tools
    • Registration or sales tools
    • Financial and human resource tools
    • Other acquisitions that that don't go through the traditional procurement process (e.g. open source, freeware, and plug-ins)
  • What percentage of procurement contracts and requests include web accessibility language?
  • There is documentation that accessibility is weighted appropriately in purchasing decisions.
    • Objective scoring matrices include accessibility
  • This decision process is used uniformly across all purchases.
  • There are mechanisms to evaluate and ensure the vendor's accessibility claims.
    • Annotated Accessibility Conformance Reports including clarifying questions and requesting additional details
    • Accessibility-focused product demonstrations or question and answer sessions
    • Direct evaluation of accessibility
  • There is documentation that these mechanisms are used consistently.
  • There is documentation that the organization purchases products that conform closest to the organization's accessibility standard when accessible products are not available.
  • The organization requires documentation that the vendor will improve the product to better conform to the accessibility standard.
    • The time for this transition is specified.
  • There is governance and a set of resources available to address purchased products that do not go through the formal procurement process.
    • Does this still require use of the tools and processes used in formal procurements?

2. The existence and enforcement of accessibility requirements for third-party resources, including those that are not vendor-sourced

Ways to determine if this is present
  • There is documentation that the organization's technical accessibility standard is required for third-party, shared resources, and cooperative agreements.
  • The organization tracks the percentage of third-party agreements that include digital accessibility language.
  • There are mechanisms to evaluate and ensure that third-party resources meet (or exceed) the organizational accessibility standard.
    • Are these mechanisms used consistently for all third-party agreements and shared resources?
    • Is there documentation of actions taken when a resource does not conform to requirements?
  • There is documentation that the organization is working with originating parties to ensure that existing materials meet the required accessibility standard.

3. Products that are designed and developed by the organization meet its stated accessibility standard

Ways to determine if this is present
  • The requirement that products that are developed by the organization meet their technical accessibility standard is specified in policy and plan documentation.
    • Does the statement explicitly identify the products that fall under the scope of the policy? This can include:
      • New products
      • Legacy products
      • Cooperatively developed products
      • Other products
  • There is documentation that those developing digital products at the organization are aware of the organization's required technical accessibility standard.
  • There are mechanisms to evaluate and ensure that digital products developed in the organization meet (or exceed) their accessibility standard.
    • Are these mechanisms used consistently for all included products?
    • There is documentation of actions taken when a web-based product does not conform to requirements.
  • Accessibility is formally included in all phases of product design and development.
    • Product management
    • Project management
    • UX design
    • Development
    • Quality assurance
  • The organization tracks the percentage of internally-developed products that conform to (or exceed) the organization's technical standard.