While digital accessibility is still a growing practice, the market is already saturated with a number of options to choose from. Where should you start? We’re glad you’re considering Deque and we hope that by answering this handful of questions you’ll be in great shape to continue your research in the right direction.
There are no wrong answers here. Note which of the answers you agree with, and read the accompanying advice to determine your next steps.
Question 1. Do you know how people with disabilities use assistive technology to access your app or site?
Understanding how people with disabilities use technology is probably the most common question we get. It’s an important step in understanding how to build and optimize your digital services for them. If you don’t think you need Training right now but your colleagues could use some perspective to kick-start your initiative, let us know if you’d like to try an Empathy Lab.
Question 2. What is driving your need to become accessible?
- We need to meet specific regulatory compliance requirements: Section 508, ADA, EN 301 549 or others – If you have compliance concerns, you’ll want to make sure you’ve gotten a full Accessibility Audit of your site or application.
- To provide an inclusive user experience that reflects our company values – We’re glad to hear it. You best first step for setting up an internal accessibility program is to get some Strategic Advice from Deque Experts.
Question 3. How quickly do you need to achieve accessibility?
- Yesterday — Ah, a challenge! Given the urgency of your situation, we recommend getting in touch with a Deque Team member ASAP. Give us a call at +1 703 225 0380 or contact us online.
- We have a deadline, but it’s at least a year away — If you’ve got a live site or application that needs to be made accessible, you’ll want to start with an Accessibility Audit. If you’re concerned about making new material accessible, start integrating accessibility testing into your development process, check out the a suite of tools.
- No deadline - we’ve got as much time as it takes – Fantastic. Allow us to introduce you to Shift Left Accessibility.
Question 4. What is your role within your organization?
- I have a non-technical role and I’ve been tasked with figuring out this accessibility thing – You’ll probably want to start with an Accessibility Audit and eventually adopt axe Monitor for reporting.
- I’m a development team leader – If you’re looking for accessibility tools for your dev team, axe DevTools is a great starting point.
- I’m a QA team leader – If you’re looking for accessibility tools for your QA team, axe Auditor is a great starting point.
- I do UX and UI design – Our Design Audits provide accessibility annotations on your wireframes so you can start addressing accessibility issues before anything gets passed on to the dev team.
- I’m responsible for risk and/or compliance – Our experts can help you put together a solid Compliance Strategy to ensure you’re meeting your requirements. You can find other relevant resource in our Compliance Portal.
- I am trying to champion the cause of accessibility – That’s great! Setting up some Instructor-Lead Training or an Empathy Lab is a great way to start raising awareness throughout your organization.
- I am but a lone developer with an interest in accessibility – Welcome. Have you checked out the free axe browser extension?
