How to Meet Compliance Requirements

How to Meet Web Accessibility Requirements: 5 Key Steps

Understanding accessibility laws is just the first step. What really matters is knowing how to implement them effectively. The framework below will help you achieve compliance while creating accessible, inclusive experiences that benefit all users. 

Note: We recommend reviewing the specific laws that apply to your organization to tailor your approach accordingly. 

Step 1: Conduct Accessibility Audits

The first step to meeting compliance requirements is to understand how accessible your existing content is. An accessibility audit provides those insights, scanning your content, identifying where common accessibility issues lie, and creating a plan to fix them. This gives you a clearer idea of where hidden barriers exist that prevent individuals with disabilities from accessing your content.

When it comes to running an accessibility audit, you have a few options on how to do it:

• Automated tools: There are a myriad of automated testing tools available that can quickly scan your content and identify common issues. For example, AudioEye’s Web Accessibility Checker scans your content for 32 WCAG violations, giving you a clear starting point for improving accessibility. However, automated tools can only find some issues, meaning others, ones that can land you in legal trouble, likely still exist on your site. 

• Expert testing: Expert testing involves accessibility experts and/or members of the disability community testing your content to find more complex accessibility issues, such as poor alt text, non-descriptive links, poor assistive technology compatibility, etc. 

• Assistive technology testing: Use screen readers and other assistive technologies (like JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver) to see how your content works with these devices. You can test it yourself or, better yet, involve actual assistive technology users. Pay close attention to how content is read aloud and whether the experience feels clear and intuitive.

To get a deeper understanding of how accessible your content is, we recommend combining these approaches, using automated tools to identify common issues and expert testing to find more complex ones. Doing so can help you find and fix issues that not only impact the user experience but also increase your legal risk.

Step 2: Train Your Teams

Remember: Accessibility is a team effort, which means everyone, from designers and developers to content writers and QA teams, needs to be aware of accessibility and the specific requirements they need to meet. 

Additionally, certain accessibility laws require regular training to be considered compliant. For example, the AODA requires organizations to provide regular accessibility training whenever accessibility policies change or when your content changes significantly. The EAA has similar requirements, mandating organizations to hold regular training as part of compliance requirements.

Here’s how to incorporate accessibility training into your organization:

• Break training out by role: Tailor guidance and recommendations to individual teams (e.g., developers, designers, copywriters, etc.) so each one knows how accessibility applies to their work.

• Schedule regular training sessions: Offer ongoing accessibility refreshers, not just a one-time workshop held once a year.

• Integrate accessibility into onboarding: Make accessibility training a part of the onboarding process for new hires.

• Track and measure progress: Use quizzes, check-ins, or simple metrics to ensure people are understanding training and incorporating it into their roles.

Ensuring all teams are trained on accessibility requirements and best practices can help you prevent issues before they start, saving you time and resources fixing these issues later.

Step 3: Prioritize Accessibility Fixes

Once your accessibility audit is complete, the next step is deciding which issues to tackle first. Not all barriers have the same impact on users or the same level of compliance risk, so it’s important to focus on the “right” issues first.

Start with your high-traffic or high-visibility pages. Fixing issues here quickly improves the experience for the largest number of users and helps reduce potential legal risk. These are your “quick wins” that deliver noticeable benefits fast.

Next, review the issues identified in your audit and prioritize those that block access to essential content. For example, missing alt text on images or unlabeled form fields can prevent users from fully interacting with your site. Addressing these first ensures your core content is accessible and compliant.

Finally, align your fixes with WCAG conformance levels. Begin with Level A and AA issues; these address the most critical accessibility barriers and make the biggest difference for users. Level AAA issues are generally optional and can be addressed over time as you continue enhancing accessibility.

Step 4: Implement Fixes

With issues prioritized, the next step is to implement fixes. This is where your compliance plan becomes real action, turning insights from your audit into an accessible user experience. Following a clear process enables you to tackle issues quickly while making meaningful progress towards compliance.

Here’s how to do it:

• Update your code: Use semantic HTML, proper heading order, and ARIA roles where appropriate to ensure content is structured well for assistive technologies.

• Enhance images and media: Add descriptive alt text for images, captions for videos, and transcripts for any audio content.

• Improve forms and navigation: Ensure all form fields are labeled correctly and that they follow a logical navigation path. Make sure they work well with keyboard commands as well.

• Adjust design elements: Check your color contrast, font sizes, and interactive elements to ensure they’re visible and usable to all users. 

• Test fixes as you go: After every fix, test it. Validate it with accessibility testing tools and real users or assistive technologies.

• Document your work: Keep a record of every change you make, as this helps with legal compliance and internal training.

Step 5: Monitor for Ongoing Compliance

One of the biggest mistakes organizations make when it comes to accessibility is taking a “one-and-done” approach. Accessibility requires continuous attention; it needs to be built into your processes and workflows.

Think about it this way: Every time your website evolves or your content changes, new issues can be introduced. Without ongoing monitoring, these problems may go unnoticed until a user encounters them, increasing your legal risk. 

To avoid that risk, make accessibility monitoring a regular part of your operations:

• Scheduling regular audits, either quarterly or biannually at a minimum.

• Using automated monitoring tools for continuous checks.

• Getting regular feedback from users with disabilities.

• Holding regular training for employees to ensure they’re up-to-date on best practices, updates, and compliance requirements.

• Testing for accessibility before content goes live.

Accessibility should be a long-term investment, not a project to check off. Maintaining this mindset reduces legal risk, keeps your users satisfied, and ensures your content stays compliant over time.