Your digital accessibility journey can kick off on a positive note with a complimentary scan of your website, empowering you to enhance accessibility before issues arise. Or your journey might begin with the unwelcome reality of a demand letter stating that your website is inaccessible, which is definitely not how you want to start.
Regardless, everyone ends up needing an audit report, and what teams do next will define the success.
For some, the audit report sits on their desk, eventually becoming a daunting reminder of the work ahead or that never happened. You know that remediation is crucial, but the scale of the task can be overwhelming.
And for others, they work towards establishing a sustainable accessibility practice and continue to make progress toward their goal.
Without continuous monitoring, testing, and improvement, the accessibility of your digital properties can quickly deteriorate.
Code changes, new content, and updated designs can introduce new accessibility issues. This not only hinders usability for people with disabilities but also exposes your organization to legal risks.
Understanding the Digital Accessibility Audit Journey
A digital accessibility audit involves several steps toward ensuring that your website or digital application meets accessibility standards and allows people with disabilities to use the application successfully.
Starting your journey by conducting your first audit establishes a baseline by understanding the current level of accessibility of your product and what barriers exist, but it doesn’t stop there. It also marks the beginning of your organization’s continuous effort to support and improve accessibility and the user experience for your users.
Regular automated monitoring combined with manual evaluation is necessary to catch new accessibility barriers as early as possible and ensure they’re addressed promptly. Partnering with an accessibility service provider offers long-term support and expert guidance to navigate this continuous process.
Why Continuous Support Is Critical
One audit is just a snapshot in time, but digital accessibility efforts present an ongoing challenge. As your website or application expands and new content is added, along with the needs of your users, so does the potential for accessibility barriers.
Relying on periodic audits alone means running the risk of issues slipping through the cracks, especially as audit data can quickly become stale. Without enabling automated monitoring and conducting routine audits, accessibility barriers may re-emerge, or new ones may surface, leaving your organization vulnerable to noncompliance, poor user experiences, and a future lawsuit.
Key Benefits of Ongoing Accessibility Management
- Stay Compliant: Accessibility laws and regulations are becoming more common worldwide, and industries must change to keep up. Continuous monitoring ensures your site stays compliant as new laws are introduced and standards change.
- Reduce Risk: Regular audits help you avoid potential lawsuits and demand letters by ensuring that accessibility issues are resolved before they become legal problems.
- Enhance User Experience: An optimally accessible website or digital product ensures a better experience for people with disabilities and can enhance usability for all users.
- Build Internal Capacity: Support your team’s growth by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to maintain accessibility independently. This builds long-term resilience, reducing compliance risks over time.
- Save Resources: Addressing issues proactively means fewer last-minute scrambles to fix urgent problems, reducing strain on your internal teams.
With support from partners like TPGi as a Service (TaaS), you can streamline the remediation process, ensure long-term accessibility, and protect your organization from legal risks.
Convince Your Boss: Why You Need TPGi as a Service (TaaS)
Accessibility isn’t a one-and-done project. It’s an ongoing commitment to providing inclusive experiences for all users.
Enter TPGi as a Service (TaaS). TaaS provides organizations with the continuous support needed to maintain accessibility across digital properties. TaaS helps your organization develop a strategy and embed accessibility testing into every development lifecycle phase. We’ll support your compliance efforts by conducting regular audits and tests and sharing expert guidance for remediating uncovered accessibility barriers.
By partnering with TPGi, you can rest easy knowing that your organization remains compliant, reduces legal risks, and provides an excellent user experience for all visitors. Take the next step and secure the long-term accessibility success your organization needs.
You’ve taken the first step toward a more inclusive digital future by conducting an accessibility audit. But the journey doesn’t end there. To sustain your organization’s accessibility efforts and ensure long-term success, you need a comprehensive strategy.
If you’re struggling to make progress or need guidance on building a robust accessibility program, you’re not alone. Download our “Convince_Your_Boss” template to help you advocate for ongoing accessibility support and start the conversation at your organization.
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