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Re: Efficient Accessibility Audit Process

for

From: Peter Shikli
Date: Nov 20, 2020 3:08PM

Julius,

Your question is clear and simple, but the right answer is not. It begins by writing down the steps of the process into a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). A verbal process by someone with lots of experience is not an acceptable alternate. An objective, structured, commented VPAT with each failure condition described in detail is key. For example, the VPAT for the Trusted Tester program includes 81 specific failure conditions that take our analysts a few months to master.

And when that is done, we have an internal step that takes each VPAT violation and requires the analyst to make clear remediation instructions to the web designer. That step informs the VPAT steps to be designed to be practical, and closes the loop for the remediation analyst to be a member of a design team. Until then, involving other design team members is not a great use of time.

This cycle can and should be done throughout the design process from requirements documents through wire frames, mockups, and prototypes -- but only at the end of each such cycle does a trained accessibility analyst involve the rest of the team.

Cheers,
Peter Shikli
Access2online Inc.