Strategy and Planning

• Accessible Writing
  • Plain Language
  • Headings and Structure
  • Lists
  • Link Text
• Image Descriptions
  • Alternative Text
  • Decorative Images
• Accessible Documents
  • PDFs
  • Microsoft Documents
  • Google Documents
• Captions and Transcripts
  • Video and Audio
  • Multimedia Accessibility
• Color Contrast
  • Contrast Ratio Guidelines
  • Color Blindness
• Typography
  • Font Size and Readability
  • Font Style and Weight
  • Line Spacing
• Form Design
• Focus States (User Interface Components)

Educate participants about the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are the global standard for web accessibility. Make sure they understand the key principles of: 

• Perceivable: Content should be available to the senses (e.g., vision, hearing).
• Operable: Interface elements must be usable.
• Understandable: Information and operations must be clear and easy to comprehend.
• Robust: Content should be accessible across various devices and assistive technologies. 

Provide hands-on training where participants can apply what they’ve learned to real websites or applications. This could include: 

• Demonstrating how to use accessibility testing tools (e.g., WAVE, Axe, Lighthouse).
• Creating accessible multimedia content (e.g., adding captions, transcripts, and descriptive alt text).
• Fixing common accessibility issues like missing alt text, poor color contrast, or inaccessible forms. 

After the training, provide resources for continued learning, including:

• Cheat sheets for accessibility testing and development.
• Links to helpful tools like screen readers (e.g., NVDA, VoiceOver) and browser extensions.

Once the issues have been identified, assign tasks based on the nature of the issue and the available resources within your institution. This involves deciding which issues can be resolved in-house by your staff and which ones require the expertise of a third-party vendor (e.g., for template-level issues). 

Staff Roles (Internal Fixes)

---

• Content Creators: 
  • Fix issues related to textual content, such as missing alt text, poorly structured headings, non-descriptive links, and inaccessible PDFs.
  • Update text formatting, ensure proper use of headings, and provide captions and transcripts for multimedia content.
• Designers: 
  • Fix color contrast issues and font readability.
  • Ensure interactive elements (e.g., forms, buttons) are usable via keyboard and screen reader.
  • Implement accessible UI elements such as clear focus states, readable text sizes, and appropriate form labeling. 
• Third-Party Roles (External Fixes):
  • If the institution is using a CMS (e.g., WordPress, Drupal) or custom-built templates that are not fully accessible, you may need a third-party vendor to:
  • Remediate the site’s overall design templates to ensure accessibility.
  • Fix code-related accessibility issues (e.g., structural issues in HTML, inaccessible navigation, lack of ARIA support).
  • Optimize the website for mobile and ensure responsive design meets accessibility standards.
  • Address any major issues with third-party plugins or widgets that are not compliant with accessibility standards.
  • Update or create accessible themes or templates that can be reused across multiple pages.
  • Address structural HTML issues, such as improper use of semantic tags, missing ARIA roles, and ensuring correct HTML markup for accessibility.
  • Fix JavaScript accessibility issues (e.g., making dynamic elements like modals and carousels keyboard and screen reader friendly).
  • Implement any necessary ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes for enhanced accessibility. 

1. Critical: Issues that prevent users from accessing core content or navigating the website (e.g., broken links, missing alt text, keyboard navigation problems).
2. High: Issues that significantly impact user experience but don’t fully prevent access (e.g., color contrast problems, missing captions).
3. Medium: Issues that could improve user experience but are less critical (e.g., improved heading structure, adding ARIA landmarks).
4. Low: Cosmetic or minor issues that don’t severely affect accessibility (e.g., non-essential decorative elements missing alt text). 

Actions

---

• Create a timeline for addressing critical and high-priority issues.
• Assign staff and external vendors to specific tasks based on expertise.
• Define success criteria for each issue to ensure that the remediation is effective. 

Implement Fixes (In-House & Third-Party)

During the remediation phase, staff and third-party vendors should begin working on the assigned tasks.

Actions for In-House Team

---

• Content Creators:
  • Write and revise alt text for images and graphics.
  • Fix inaccessible links (e.g., “click here” or “read more”).
  • Update documents (e.g., PDFs, Word docs) to be accessible.
  • Add captions or transcripts to multimedia content.
  • Update website design to meet color contrast requirements.
• Actions for In house Web Design Team:
  • Ensure the website uses proper semantic HTML tags (e.g., <header>, <footer>, <main>).
  • Address any form validation issues.
  • Update JavaScript and dynamic content to be accessible with screen readers.
• Actions for Third-Party Vendors:
  • Fix template-level issues, such as improving the structure of the HTML (e.g., fixing missing header, footer, main tags).
  • Improve accessibility in navigation menus and dynamic content areas (e.g., carousels, accordions).
  • Ensure mobile responsiveness and mobile-first design practices are applied.
  • Address third-party plugins and integrate accessible versions if needed (e.g., accessible video players, forms, widgets).
  • Ensure the website uses proper semantic HTML tags (e.g., <header>, <footer>, <main>).
  • Update JavaScript and dynamic content to be accessible with screen readers.
  • Address any form validation issues.

Once the fixes have been implemented, it’s critical to test them to ensure they work as expected. This involves both automated testing and user testing. 

Actions

---

• Automated Testing: Use tools like Axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE to run another round of accessibility tests to ensure all issues have been resolved.
• Manual Testing: Test key areas manually, focusing on keyboard navigation, screen reader usage, and form accessibility.
• User Testing: If possible, conduct usability testing with individuals who have disabilities to verify that the website is fully accessible. 

Website accessibility is an ongoing effort, not a one-time fix. Once remediation is complete, it’s important to establish ongoing monitoring and maintenance processes. 

Actions

---

• Regular Manual Audits: Schedule regular accessibility audits (e.g., quarterly or semi-annually) to ensure that the website continues to meet accessibility standards.
• Weekly Automatic Accessibility Reports: Regular weekly reports will be generated by a third party accessibility software checker.
• User Feedback: Provide users with a way to report accessibility issues (e.g., a feedback form or email address). This allows users with disabilities to notify the institution of any new issues.
• Ongoing Training: Offer regular accessibility training to staff involved in website content creation, design, and development to keep them updated on best practices and guidelines. 

Ensure that progress is documented and that stakeholders are kept informed of the remediation efforts. 

Actions

---

• Report on Progress: Regularly update the leadership team on the status of the remediation, including completed tasks, remaining issues, and any challenges encountered.
• Document Changes: Keep a record of all fixes made, including before-and-after screenshots, code changes, and testing results.
• Summary of Roles and Tasks

Help participants understand the why behind accessibility. It's not just about compliance—it’s about inclusion. Share stories and case studies of individuals with disabilities and how accessibility impacts their daily lives. 

Possible topics include:

• The importance of digital inclusion for people with disabilities.
• The legal and ethical implications of non-compliance (e.g., ADA, Section 508).
• The business case for accessibility (e.g., improving SEO, expanding reach to a broader audience, improving user experience). 

Accessibility is an ongoing effort, so it’s important to have periodic check-ins and follow-up sessions to: 

• Evaluate progress in implementing accessibility improvements.
• Discuss new accessibility issues that may have emerged.
• Reassess whether the training has been effective and if further education is needed. 

Web accessibility is not a one-time effort. As web standards, assistive technologies, and organizational needs evolve, ongoing education and training are necessary to ensure everyone involved remains up-to-date on best practices and guidelines. 

Types of Training to Offer

---

• Initial Training for New Staff and Faculty:
  • Induction Program: Include accessibility training as part of onboarding for new staff members who will be working with digital content or web development. Ensure that accessibility is clearly presented as an organizational priority from the start.
• Refresher Training:
  • Quarterly or Annual Refresher Courses: Offer regular, scheduled training sessions (e.g., quarterly or annually) to revisit accessibility principles and update staff on new best practices or tools.
  • Mini-Training Sessions: These could focus on a specific aspect of accessibility, such as writing accessible alt text, using accessible forms, or understanding the latest updates to WCAG.
• Department-Specific Trainings:
  • Forms
  • Flyers
  • PDFs
  • Office Suites
• External Courses:
  
  • W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Provides free tutorials and resources.
  • WebAIM: Offers training workshops and webinars. 

To ensure that accessibility stays top of mind and continues to improve, it’s important to provide support to staff who may face challenges or need additional guidance. 

Actions

---

• Accessibility Helpdesk:
  • Set up an accessibility helpdesk or support system where staff can ask for assistance with accessibility issues or questions. This could be a designated email address or ticketing system where accessibility experts within the institution or third-party consultants can provide guidance.
  • Ensure that there’s a process for users or team members to report accessibility issues on the institution’s website, and provide a clear path for resolution.
• Regular Feedback:
  • Implement a feedback loop where content creators, designers, and developers can share their experiences and challenges regarding accessibility. Hold regular retrospective meetings to assess what’s working, what needs improvement, and how training or processes can be adjusted. 

To ensure that your accessibility training is effective and evolving in line with new trends and requirements, you need a system for tracking progress and adapting training based on performance. 

Actions

---

• Track Accessibility Metrics:
  • Set clear accessibility goals (e.g., reducing the number of accessibility issues identified during audits, increasing staff participation in training) and track progress over time.
  • Use tools to monitor website accessibility regularly (e.g., automated testing tools, manual audits) and review reports on how staff have been implementing training.
• Surveys and Assessments:
  • Regularly assess the effectiveness of training programs through surveys or feedback forms. Ask staff about their comfort level with accessibility practices, their confidence in applying them, and whether they need further training in any areas.
  • Adjust training based on the feedback and changes in industry standards, such as new versions of WCAG or emerging assistive technologies.