What are the best ways to teach your team about web accessibility standards?

1 Explain the benefits

Before diving into the technical details, you need to explain why web accessibility standards are important and how they can benefit your team, your users, and your business. You can use examples and stories to illustrate how web accessibility standards can improve the user experience, increase the reach and diversity of your audience, enhance your SEO and performance, and reduce the risk of legal issues. You can also show how web accessibility standards align with your values and goals as a team and as a company.

2 Introduce the principles

The core of web accessibility standards are the four principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. These principles provide a framework for creating web products that are accessible to people with different types of disabilities, such as visual, auditory, cognitive, motor, or speech impairments. You can introduce these principles to your team and explain what they mean in simple terms. You can also use the POUR acronym to help them remember the principles.

4 Involve the users

One of the best ways to teach your team about web accessibility standards is to involve the users who are directly affected by them. You can invite people with disabilities to share their feedback and insights on your web products, or you can conduct user testing and research with them. You can also encourage your team to use assistive technologies, such as screen readers, magnifiers, or keyboards, to experience how your web products work for different users. By involving the users, you can help your team empathize and understand their needs and preferences.

5 Provide resources

Another way to teach your team about web accessibility standards is to provide them with resources that they can use to learn more and stay updated. You can share links, books, podcasts, videos, courses, blogs, and other sources that cover web accessibility standards in depth and offer practical tips and advice. You can also create a repository or a wiki where your team can access and contribute to the resources. By providing resources, you can help your team expand their knowledge and skills on web accessibility.

6 Encourage a culture

Finally, you need to encourage a culture of web accessibility within your team and your company. You can do this by setting clear expectations and goals, providing feedback and recognition, promoting collaboration and communication, and celebrating successes and achievements. You can also integrate web accessibility standards into your workflows, processes, and tools, and make them part of your quality assurance and review. By encouraging a culture of web accessibility, you can make it a habit and a priority for your team and your company.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?