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W3C Accessibility Maturity Model guides a public or private organization to design, implement and evaluate their processes to produce digital products that are accessible to people with disabilities. It is designed to work for many different size organizations from small to large corporations or government agencies.
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This document was published by the Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group as an Editor's Draft.
Publication as an Editor's Draft does not imply endorsement by W3C and its Members.
This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.
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This document is governed by the 2 November 2021 W3C Process Document.
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ICT Accessibility within organizations of any size can be complex with multiple dimensions. Although some organizations have individuals or departments to support accessibility, many organizations lack understanding or fail to recognize the importance of ICT accessibility as a requirement, and therefore don’t realize they need accessibility governance systems. This can result in limits to the ability to produce accessible products and associated services such as training and documentation which are essential for inclusive digital environments. The solution to this challenge is to encourage organizations to establish and implement accessibility governance systems within their organizations. These systems must integrate ICT accessibility criteria into policies, key business processes, organizational culture, and management structures in a consistent, repeatable, and measurable fashion. Only then can organizations address the complexities related to enabling ICT accessibility.
This proposed W3C Accessibility Maturity Model describes an overall framework for establishing a robust ICT accessibility program and identifying areas for improvement. A Maturity Model is:
A tool;
Organizations know when they are doing well (or poorly) at product accessibility via audit reports and bug counts. However, they don’t know how well they are doing as an organization to continue to produce accessible products without looking at other supporting corporate processes. Maturity Modeling is a big part of a “shift-left” methodology of preventing problems from recurring, not fixing them after they have happened.
Most maturity models contain some number of levels with increasing maturity. Each level contains a definition, controls, and a list of processes and evidence that must be produced for an organization to legitimately claim that they are at a particular level of maturity.
Maturity modeling is very different than conformance testing
This document is intended to guide and evaluate the levels of organizational accessibility maturity that encompasses a public or private sector organization at any scale.
Examples of organizations might be (but not limited to):
The primary audience for this maturity model would be:
This document may also be used to measure the maturity level of parts of the organization, provided that the scope is clearly identified in any reports submitted to third-parties.
Reference appendix with summary of the existing six maturity models outside of WCAG.
This is a first draft and there are a number of issues are still to be determined that we would like comment from the public on:
Once we have feedback on which alternative is preferred, the other dimensions will migrate their spreadsheet format.
This Accessibility Maturity Model is organized around seven “Dimensions.” Each dimension represents an aspect of an organization where maturity in accessibility is needed to improve compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Dimensions include:
Figure 1 shows the core structure of the Maturity Model. The Maturity Model has Four stages of content with associated documentation. Dimensions form the top level. Each dimension contains:
Each dimension will contain stages” based on the proof points that are demonstrated. Stages loosely correspond to the following criteria. Each dimension will contain defined criteria that pertain specifically to the dimension being defined. Stages are cumulative, so stage advancement cannot be achieved without first meeting the specific criteria of a lower level. The terms for the stages were adopted for consistency with the Policy Driven Adoption Maturity Model, currently being used by multiple government agencies.
Stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive | No awareness and recognition of need. |
Launch | Recognized need organization-wide. Planning initiated, but activities not well organized. |
Integrate | Roadmap in place, overall organizational approach defined and well organized |
Optimize | Full organization insights, consistently evaluated, and actions taken on assessment outcomes. |
Dimensions provide a unique descriptive name with a high-level, plain-language summary of the content for organizations, managers, policy makers, individuals who are new to accessibility, and other individuals who need to understand the concepts but not dive into the technical details.
Dimensions provide an easy-to-understand way of organizing and presenting the outcomes so non-experts can learn about and understand the concepts. Dimensions address organizational needs on specific topics, such as education, documentation, communication, and more. Dimension Proof Points may be customized based on organizational needs organization-independent.
Dimensions:
Each dimension has one or more desired outcomes for each stage. Progress towards achieving maturity is attained by creating the proof points described for each dimension. Each maturity model dimension contains a graduated set of stages of maturity attainment that as met define where the organization is along the dimension continuum.
Outcomes form the basis of a flexible and expansive architecture for maturity modeling that closely relates to the needs of organizations. Consistent with WCAG 3.0, outcomes determine whether the need defined by the maturity modeling stages has been met.
All relevant outcomes must be addressed but not all outcomes will apply to all organizations and situations. When an outcome does not apply, it is marked N/A (Not applicable).
Example: Policy does not need to reference native apps if the organization has no native apps.
Each dimensional outcome has a range of suggested proof points, which includes any evidence or necessary measures that can be used to ascertain the maturity of each dimension.
For example, if a dimension requires a plan to identify ICT Accessibility related skill levels and gaps, then the corresponding proof point would be the document containing completed evaluation of ICT Accessibility related skill levels and gaps.
Each proof point includes a high-level description. Deliverables are mostly self-explanatory, but in some cases, additional information is provided.
Examples of proof points are included for each dimension.
Each dimension includes proof points at the various maturity stages.
Organizational ICT Accessibility Maturity is assessed using the ICT Accessibility Maturity Assessment Template. The template contains worksheet tabs specific to each dimension. The dimension tabs are organized with the dimension definitions and outcomes for each of the 4 maturity stages and provides a list of the dimension’s proof points.
The blank cells below each maturity stage are to be completed by the organization and should contain evidence that the organization has reached that stage. The evidence can include progress on proof point completion, or other relevant information that can be used to claim that the outcomes for that stage have been met.
Proof points can span across multiple stages, work being initiated in one stage and completed in a more advanced stage.
A link to the worksheet is HERE.
Communications, whether internal or external, formal or informal, minor or major, need to be accessible to the widest audience possible. Accessible communication is an umbrella term to describe communication that is clear, direct, easy to understand and that can be made available in multiple formats so that all users have equal access. It takes into consideration the various barriers to accessing information, and removes these or provides alternative formats for the communication to take place. Also, accessibility efforts should be communicated so that users are aware of the extent to which they can interact with content.
Dimension: Measure if communications, Internal and external, are accessible, accessibility-related communications to demonstrate the overall approach toward accessibility, and WCAG compliance.
May include but are not limited to:
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive |
Definition: No effort towards achieving ICT accessibility maturity, possibly some informal activities.
Outcomes:
|
Launch |
Definition: Recognized need for ICT accessibility maturity. Planning initiated, but activities not well organized.
Outcomes:
|
Integrate |
Definition: ICT accessibility roadmap in place, overall organizational approach defined. Process integration for ICT accessibility maturity in progress. Not consistently implemented across all operations.
Outcomes:
|
Optimize |
Definition: Full ICT accessibility maturity. Accessibility is consistently implemented across all operations. Mechanisms for continuous improvement of accessibility processes are in place. Actions that are taken are based on the assessment of the various outcomes. Outcomes:
|
Introduction: Internal and external personnel at all levels of an organization must have W3C accessibility knowledge and skills that are relevant to their organizational role as a manager, product or content producer. Accessibility knowledge and skills relevant to each individual’s position helps to implement checks and balances needed as for quality assurance.
Measures: education, individual experience, stakeholder responsibilities, departments, or units. Takes into account the use of external sources to bridge inclusiveness and accessibility gaps.
Identifies necessary, and preferred knowledge and skills per role, per project, per organization, via Internal systems, internet, direct contact, print.
Through internal systems, the internet, direct contact, print
Through Interview, Questionnaire, Certification, CV.
Through Interview, Questionnaire, Certification, CV.
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive |
Definition: No efforts to develop W3C accessibility or disability inclusion expertise.
Outcomes:
|
Launch |
Definition: Recognized need for organization-wide accessibility, and disability inclusion, expertise. Planning initiated, but activities not well organized.
Outcomes:
|
Integrate |
Definition: ICT accessibility workforce development roadmap in place, overall organizational approach to evaluating accessibility, and disability inclusion, expertise is defined. Process integration for maturing ICT accessibility, and disability inclusion, knowledge and skills in progress. Not consistently implemented across the organization.
Outcomes:
|
Optimize |
Definition: Full organization ICT accessibility maturity. Organization-wide, role-based, expertise in accessibility, and disability inclusion, are well-defined, evaluated, remediated, and continuously enhanced. Accessibility knowledge and skills are consistently implemented across the organization.
Outcomes:
|
Dimension: Support for internal employees and external customers with disabilities. This includes reasonable accommodations (adjustments) for employees and customer support that is specific to users' accessibility needs.
Support artifacts may include but are not limited to:
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive | Definition: No accessibility effort at all around support for employees or customers. |
Launch |
Definition: Plans in place to provide basic information about accessibility to customers.
Outcomes:
|
Integrate |
Definition: Customers: Dedicated section on Accessibility in the Help section of customer-facing website. FAQ or Help topics include common accessibility questions and answers.
Outcomes:
|
Optimize |
Definition: Customers: Fully trained customer support staff able to support users' accessibility questions. Multiple ways to communicate with technical support are provided that meet the needs of customers with disabilities.
Outcomes:
|
Accessible Information and communication technologies (ICT) serves as a critical enabler that allow persons with disabilities to realise full and effective opportunities to participate, on the basis of equality, in all aspects of society and development that involve technology. Accessibility must be considered throughout the entire ICT development lifecycle: from idea conception, to design, development, testing, ACR/VPAT production, user research, maintenance and obsolescence.
ICT development lifecycle artifacts may include but are not limited to:
User research focusing only on disabilities is performed
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive |
Definition: No accessibility effort at all around ICT development.
Outcomes:
|
Launch |
Definition: Some awareness and recognition of the need for accessible ICT development, accidentally approached, decentralized.
Outcomes:
|
Integrate |
Definition: Organizational effort and approach for improving accessibility ICT development per role / discipline.
Outcomes:
|
Optimize |
Definition: Thought leader in Accessibility on ICT development with strong ICT development knowledge and skills, structural, standardized and reported approach.
Outcomes:
|
Introduction: Persons with disabilities should be utilized throughout an organization’s hierarchy (all job types, all authority levels) where their unique insights and lived experiences should better inform decision making. This requires accessible and inclusive hiring practices covering application, interviews, evaluations, onboarding and retention.
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive |
Definition: No staffing effort towards achieving organization-wide ICT accessibility maturity by including people with disabilities in the workforce. Possibly some informal activities.
Outcomes:
|
Launch |
Definition: Recognized need to include employees with disabilities in the workforce to contribute to organization-wide ICT accessibility maturity. Planning initiated, but recruitment, retention, and engagement, activities around disability inclusion are not well organized.
Outcomes:
|
Integrate |
Definition: Disability inclusion roadmap, to drive ICT accessibility, in place. Overall organizational approach to evaluating recruitment, retention, and engagement is defined. Process integration for maturing disability inclusion efforts for ICT accessibility in progress. Not consistently implemented across the organization.
Outcomes:
|
Optimize |
Definition: Employees with disabilities are leveraged throughout the organization to achieve full ICT accessibility maturity. Organization-wide, disability inclusion staffing efforts are well-defined, evaluated, remediated, and integrated with ICT accessibility efforts, and goals, across the organization. Employees with disabilities hold key decision making positions, and are spread out across all areas of the organization to drive accessibility in every facet of the business.
Outcomes:
|
Procurement is a strategic process that concentrates on finding and acquiring cost-effective products required for an organization. It deals with things like sourcing activities, negotiation, and selecting goods and services.
With the majority of IT assets within an organization being the result of procurement transactions and contracts, ensuring that IT accessibility criteria are well integrated into the processes to bring this area into full maturity, which is the “Optimize” stage.
May include but not limited to:
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive | No accessibility criteria, process, or requirements in ICT procurements |
Launch |
Definition: Recognized need for accessibility criteria in procurement process(s).
Outcomes: Work initiated to identify and integrate accessibility into procurement processes and language into all ICT related solicitation documents, vendor responses, and contracts. |
Integrate |
Definition: Accessibility criteria, language, and evaluation methods integrated into most applicable ICT solicitations and contracts.
Outcomes: Solicitation and contract language complete. Responses analyzed by accessibility or trained procurement professionals. Scoring model developed and its use begun. Communications mechanism in place to inform vendors of accessibility requirements. |
Optimize |
Definition: Full and consistent use of accessibility processes and criteria in all procurements with an ICT component in the contract decision making process.
Outcomes: Processes are in place, used consistently, and regularly reviewed / refined as needed. |
Organizational culture consists of shared beliefs and values established by leaders that ultimately shape employee perceptions, behaviors and understanding.
To be truly effective and mature, organizations must weave an inclusive and accessible culture into the fabric of the organization. Everyone in the organization should have an understanding and sensitivity to the importance of IT accessibility, how / if it fits within the roles / responsibilities of their positions and work assignments, and an appreciation for the value of a diverse population both within and external to the organization. IT accessibility has and can have a tremendous impact on people with disabilities that facilitates access to jobs, services, and other aspects of life that others simply take for granted. It is important that the culture of an organization recognize this concept and the unique values that this diversity group brings to an organization. Therefore it is critical that an organization has a diversity culture that includes an understanding of IT Accessibility and how it fits within the various roles within the organization.
Proof Points includes:
Maturity stages | Criteria |
---|---|
Inactive | No diversity culture or diversity culture does not include disability |
Launch |
Definition: Recognized a need organization-wide cultural programs, planning initiated with limited or ad hoc activity
Outcomes: Work initiated to identify and integrate ICT accessibility organizational processes and governance, including policies, processes, and practices that impact employees and external audiences; leadership for the initiative; cultural programs formulated, but not yet implemented |
Integrate |
Definition: Cultural programs created and initially deployed
Outcomes: Metrics established, hiring practices implemented; policies now inplace with partial execution, diversity training initiated and but not compete; communities of practice established |
Optimize |
Definition: Strong cultural awareness, appreciation, sensitivity, and support for all aspects of internal / external IT for accessibility and people with disabilities.
Outcomes: Policies, processes, and practices are in place, used consistently, and regularly reviewed / refined as needed. All employees have understanding and sensitivity to the importance of IT accessibility, how / if it fits within their roles / responsibilities, and have an appreciation for the value of a diverse population both within and external to the organization. |