Accessibility Champions Program

Problem Statement

Based on their role on the SDLC, associates have to understand accessibility from a different point of view.

Solution

To create an Accessibility Champions Program to train associates across the organization, understanding their individual background based on the role they play on the SDLC.

Audience

- Project managers

- UX teams

- Content strategists;

- Technology (developers and QA)

Tasks

Once we had defined the accessibility requirements and best practices, we created a series of training sessions focused on the role the associate played on the process. By doing this:

 - Project managers:  would be able to understand how accessibility would impact their scrums and timelines

- UX team: the training allowed researchers to create better personas for the user testing sessions. UX designers got a better understanding about the necessary interactions.

- Content Strategists: understood how their content was consumed by screen reader users and the impact it had on the information architecture of the page.

- Developers: the training was focused on how the screen readers interacted with HTML based on the DOM.

- QA: We trained them on how to use automated testing tools as well as how to use screen readers to comply with the automated and manual requirements.

At the end of the training, associates were able to create deliverables that met ADA compliance such as VPATs which were later presented to the governance teams.