So far, we've assigned roles and set measurable goals. But if accessibility isn't baked into your team's Definition of Done (DoD), it will always be treated as an afterthought.
Accessibility can't be a checklist you tack on at the end. Every team has some non-negotiable quality standards every task must meet before it ships. These standards usually deal with security or performance. I think accessibility belongs right there on that shortlist.
The danger of not including accessibility as a non-negotiable is releasing features with barriers that you'll never patch in next releases, no matter how much you believe that. These retroactive fixes consume 3-5x more effort than building it right initially. There's really no excuse I can think of not to do it.
Here are three rules I use to make accessibility a non-negotiable checkpoint before any work ships.
- Automate the basics. You can't close any ticket until automated tools (Axe, Lighthouse) show zero critical violations. This will catch all the low hanging fruit. You set it up once and then forget about it. Oh, and block code pull requests (PR) merges if these checks fail in continuous integration (CI).
- Mandate manual testing. Automated tools can only catch so much. You still need a human to test keyboard navigation and do screen reader spot-checks for all interactive components. Event the most minimal of spot-checks will expose user experience (UX) flaws automation misses.
- Add role-specific checks. Design signs off on colour contrast. Devs confirm ARIA attributes. QA verifies focus order. Product prioritises accessibility bugs like any other blocker.
But this will slow us down!
Yes, initially. Until you set up your CI. Until you go through the process a few times. Hint, use checklists. You'll soon see that fixing issues pre-launch is orders of magnitude faster than post-launch.
As always, don't try to do it all at once! Start small. Pick one DoD rule this sprint and check for it in your tickets. Something simple, like colour contrast passes Level AA of 4.5:1. Even one accessibility rule creates accountability.
Over time, your regular accessibility audits will also get easier and cleaner. We'll talk about those next Thursday!