Boiling the Ocean of Accessibility

It can be daunting to look at an entire platform and be told, "Ok, now make it accessible."

You don't need revolutionary planning, or exhaustive sprints to start. Including some accessibility work into regular sprint planning can offset any extra LOE, and you can start adding accessibility requirements right into each ticket.

In a blog post for MediSked that I wrote in 2021, "Modular Accessibility for All Users", I outline some easy ways to incorporate real accessibility into the SDLC, and start making progress to a completely accessible product as a whole.

Some of the basics include:

  • Using a third-party library of components that have accessibility built in. (Like Kendo UI for VUE or Deque Code Library)You'll still need to adjust and apply them right, but it will get you most of the way there.
  • Include it in every ticket. Link to specific areas that apply to that ticket so engineers and testers know what to focus on. You can link right to the Deque checklist for developers or to the WCAG Quick Guide
  • Check early and often. Make sure engineers and testers are using automated accessibility tools (like AXE Chrome extension and NVDA) as they go to catch things sooner.
  • Have an accessibility audit. This is the most intensive way to be as thorough as possible in finding all the areas to improve accessibility. Once you have this list, you can link it to any existing efforts, create its own epic to address, or a combination of the two.
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