Accessibility Maturity Model and Roles

Accessibility Maturity Model and Roles

The principles of the maturity models and the role of an accessibility champion can be specifically applied to ensure that digital learning materials are accessible to all learners.

An organization can use the Accessibility Maturity Model to gauge its current status. Using the Business Disability Forum's model, an organization would assess its progress on a scale of 1-5:

• Level 1: Informal: Accessibility practices are not documented, and there is no formal process in place for ensuring content is accessible.
  
  
• Level 2: Defined: There are documents that address accessibility, but these are not consistently used or followed in the development process.
  
  
• Level 3: Repeatable: Accessibility processes are established and are generally followed when developing content.
  
  
• Level 4: Managed: The organization monitors and improves its accessibility processes as part of its regular development cycle.
  
  
• Level 5: Optimimal: The organization is innovative in accessibility practices, actively improves them and shares these practices with the wider community.

The accessibility champion role is critical to drive accessibility. This person should be a role model and advocate for accessibility in the development process. They would be responsible for:

• Vision and Strategy: Building a vision and aligning implementation strategies for accessibility in content.
  
  
• Collaboration: Sustaining ongoing commitment to and collaboration on accessibility practices within the team.
  
  
• Integration: Supporting the integration of accessibility into all stages of development, rather than treating it as a separate project.
  
  
• Maturity Model Adoption: Leading the adoption and implementation of an accessibility maturity model to help the organization improve over time.
  
  
• Legal Compliance: Identifying and becoming familiar with relevant accessibility laws and standards, assessing the organization's legal obligations, and ensuring content complies with these requirements.
  
  
• Accessibility Plans: Creating and ensuring adherence to an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility plan that includes documentation for how products meet accessibility standards.

By integrating the maturity models with the guidance and oversight of an accessibility champion, organizations can systematically improve the accessibility of their digital content, ensuring that all learners have equal access to educational opportunities.

A Practical Resource to Get Started

Understanding the concepts is one step. Putting structure in place is the real work. To support teams in moving from reactive fixes to sustainable practice, try using a simple maturity model reflection that helps organizations ask:

• Where are we today?
• What roles and routines are missing?
• What would “repeatable” actually look like for us?
• What is one realistic next step we can commit to this quarter?

It is a simple framework that helps teams identify where they are today, clarify ownership, define routines, and map realistic next steps.

It is not a compliance checklist. It is a planning and reflection tool designed to move accessibility from reactive fixes to repeatable practice. After you complete the reflection give the Maturity Model Assessment (in plain lanugage) a try as a follow up activity.

If you are trying to make accessibility part of everyday design and development work instead of an occasional remediation effort, this tool gives you a clear starting point and a shared language for your team.