Deciding which digital accessibility provider to choose is an extremely important decision that directly affects your user experience and legal compliance. In this article, we outline five key criteria to evaluate when choosing between digital accessibility solutions.
How to select a digital accessibility company
Any digital accessibility company you hire should provide the following:
Comprehensive testing
Thorough testing and evaluation are an essential part of any thorough accessibility service. Several companies offer automated scans but automated scanning is limited in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) criteria it can identify. A comprehensive accessibility assessment involves a combination of automated scans and manual testing, both before and after remediation takes place.
Automated scans
Automated scans are an important part of comprehensive testing for digital accessibility. Look for a company with configurable standards and rules, one that can generate easy-to-read reports on findings and recommendations, and monitor progress with clear records.
Automated scans are a great way to get started with testing, but even the best automated checkers only flag approximately 30% of WCAG AA success criteria. This is why the best digital accessibility companies will also perform manual testing, explained below.
Manual testing
Because automation is limited in how many WCAG success criteria it can test against, manual testing is essential to thoroughly evaluate digital assets.
In a manual evaluation, a digital accessibility expert will systematically evaluate your asset’s primary user flows—including pages and screens—of your asset against WCAG AA success criteria. It will then detail all accessibility findings.
Depending on the size and complexity of the asset, most manual audits should be completed within 2-4 weeks. Thorough reports will be actionable and provide clear details and instruction on next steps. At a minimum, a manual audit should include the following components:
- page / screen
- environment
- accessibility issue
- WCAG reference
- recommendation on how to fix
Manual testing includes testing performed by an accessibility expert and results in an excellent technical assessment of your digital asset. However, the evaluation process is made even more robust when professional accessibility testing is performed with assistive technology (AT) on a various browsers.
This type of testing provides tremendous value and should be used in determining how thorough an accessibility company is in its approach.
Legal compliance knowledge
There are a number of accessibility regulations that apply in the U.S. and other territories, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and EN 301 549. A digital accessibility company must be fluent with the different nuances of these laws. This indicates the provider is familiar with legal compliance and can help support you in meeting requirements.
Although best practice is always conforming to the latest version of WCAG, there are additional considerations that may come up. For example, did you know the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requires accessibility? Or that the AODA carves out two exceptions for WCAG 2.0 AA success criteria? These details might affect how your organization prioritizes accessibility remediation.
Not all companies have this type of legal and technical knowledge to keep up with evolving standards and regulations. This legal expertise is critical. Your digital accessibility provider should understand the changing legal landscape, and help validate or defend any claims against you.
Technical expertise
An effective digital accessibility provider will have a team of experts that can support your accessibility efforts. This team should have a clear understanding of the evolving regulatory requirements for compliance, with technical experts who can offer coding suggestions. Team members should also include individuals who are native AT users who test your digital properties using the most common assistive technologies on the most common browsers.
Actionable insights
It’s important to know where your website could prevent or block access to content or functions. Comprehensive testing is designed to flag exactly these kinds of issues. But a good vendor will also tell you how to fix these issues, as well as provide assistance in the remediation process.
When considering a digital accessibility company, look for one whose solutions provide clear pathways for improvement. This includes complete, readable histories of scans, results, and validations; prioritization of issues based on severity and impact; technical help to fix complex issues; and ongoing testing and reporting.
Progress recording and documentation
Your accessibility company should provide an option for progress tracking and record keeping. This type of documentation can be beneficial both from an internal standpoint and a legal point of view.
Internally, progress tracking gives your organization tangible evidence of commitment and improvement over time. Legally, having independent, third-party documentation of accessibility can be extremely helpful, particularly in motions to dismiss claims.
When a provider demonstrates this level of diligence and attention to detail for customers, it speaks volumes.
Take your digital properties to the next level
Digital accessibility is a big win from so many vantage points:
- It’s the right thing to do.
- The law requires it.
- It promotes diversity and inclusion.
- It provides better usability.
But there is definitely a learning curve to understanding both what your organization needs and selecting the best provider to meet those needs.
At Level Access, we provide end-to-end accessibility support to deliver an all-in-one digital accessibility solution, with legal expertise and training, to help our partners meet their accessibility goals. To learn more about our services, get in touch with our team.
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