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Re: How long between accessibility test/audits?

for

From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: May 28, 2019 2:42PM

On 28/05/2019 21:22, James A. wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I am after views on how often accessibility tests/audits should be undertaken on a site once an initial audit has been completed. Do people have a general guideline on the maximum time lapse between audits when previous compliance claims can be considered valid? I realise that in agile development environment timeframes may be irrelevant so are there particular level or type of functionality changes that would mean that a new audit would be required?

How long is a piece of string?

It's really dependent on the processes in place. In an ideal world,
accessibility would be a core aspect of any continuing development.
After an initial audit to establish a baseline, any further changes and
developments, no matter how small, should be considered with regards to
accessibility directly at the planning and development stage, so that
it's more about continuous testing and integration.

If that's not possible, then it's obviously dependent on the type of
changes that are being made. If it's lots of small changes that are
fairly "safe" (no new big functionalities, no refactoring/reworking of
existing things from a structural and functional point of view), it's
probably safe to do the occasional (once a year?) spot check of those
changed areas. Any more major developments (a complete redesign, or a
complete "under the bonnet" change of the page structures, or addition
of a whole new section/functionality) should trigger a more thorough audit.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

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