The Importance of Organizational Leadership in Developing an Accessibility Culture: Buy-In, Metrics, and Structure

By Sanjay Nasta | May 19, 2022 | | 1

This is the third in a series of nine discussions on 8 Key Elements for Creating a Culture of Accessibility with Jeff Kline. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Jeff today about how organizational leadership influences the culture of accessibility. In this interview, Jeff discusses getting leadership buy-in, why a bottom-up approach to accessibility doesn’t work, driving accountability with metrics, and using the organization’s structure and process[…]

The Role of Policy in Creating a Culture of Accessibility

By Sanjay Nasta | April 19, 2022 | | 1

Jeff Kline is the author of Strategic IT Accessibility: Enabling the Organization and is a recognized subject matter expert in key areas of IT accessibility, including policy, rule making, process integration, procurement, and risk mitigation. He formerly served as Program Director of Statewide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) Accessibility at the Texas Department of Information Resources. Jeff consults on IT accessibility policy matters for federal and state agencies, educational institutions, NGOs,[…]

WCAG 2.2 Explained – What Designers and Content Creators Need To Know

By Soheil Varamini | November 20, 2023 | | 0

As the digital landscape evolves, ensuring inclusive and accessible online experiences becomes more critical than ever. Recently, the WC3 released its version 2.2 updates to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), bringing with it new standards and considerations. If you’re a website designer, application developer, or digital marketer, understanding these changes is crucial for creating content that reaches all users barrier-free. The Evolution of WCAG: A Brief Overview Originally introduced[…]

WCAG 2.2 Update: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

By Hiram Kuykendall | April 24, 2023 | | 1

Forecasting the Impact of the WCAG 2.2 Update Author’s Note: Idiom “Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze” means “is it worth it.” For the past few years, the World Wide Web Consortium (aka W3C) has teased the industry with the potential release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. This likely update, now expected to be released in Fall of 2023, has led to much speculation about the[…]

Accessibility Asked and Answered: What is a Web Accessibility Audit?

By Hiram Kuykendall | March 28, 2023 | | 0

A web accessibility audit evaluates a digital asset for accessibility to people with disabilities. The audit may be for a website, web application, mobile app, desktop application, or any product that contains a user interface. The audit typically involves reviewing the digital assets’ content, design, and code to identify any barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from accessing or using the site. Audit Motivation There are many reasons why[…]

Why Every Product Needs a VPAT

By Sanjay Nasta | February 27, 2023 | | 1

In today’s purchasing market, accessibility is an increasingly important factor for companies looking to sell their products and services to government agencies, universities, and other organizations that care about accessibility. Many organizations now require a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) during the purchasing process to assess the accessibility of a product or service and determine if it meets their accessibility requirements. A VPAT is a document that provides detailed information on the accessibility of a product[…]

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Third-Party Auditor for Your VPAT Engagement

By Hiram Kuykendall | March 20, 2023 | | 1

Potential customers frequently ask product developers to provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). It usually doesn’t take long for the developer to realize that the VPAT form is complex and contains language specific to the accessibility industry. This realization leads many developers to seek a third-party auditor’s assistance in auditing their product and creating an accessibility compliance report. This VPAT engagement checklist[…]

Find Your Perfect Match: Tips for Selecting the Right VPAT Vendor Partner

By Sanjay Nasta | February 16, 2023 | | 0

For companies that do not have the resources or expertise to conduct an accessibility assessment and create a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), working with an outside vendor partner can be a viable option. An outside vendor partner can provide expertise and resources to conduct an accessibility assessment and create a comprehensive and accurate VPAT. Choosing the right vendor partner to create your VPAT is critical to the success and[…]

A Credibility Checklist for the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®)

By Hiram Kuykendall | May 25, 2022 | | 0

I frequently receive questions asking how to review an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on one of the four Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT) versions. At Microassist, I teach both a four-hour and eight-hour course on purchasing, which includes interpreting an ACR. As anyone who has attempted to interpret one of these attestations will tell you, the task of interpretation will vary in complexity depending on the type of product,[…]

Accessibility Testing Tool Reality Check

By Hiram Kuykendall | June 21, 2022 | | 1

When talking with customers about accessibility, I frequently get asked: Why can’t automated accessibility testing tools find all errors? This question is understandable, given we have accessibility guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, technical standards such as HTML5 and WAI-ARIA, and a myriad of patterns and practices. First, let’s address the assumption that accessibility testing tools can only catch between 30% to 50% of errors. There is a[…]