Accessibility testing procedure for Web Strategy products

Accessibility is a core value at the University of Washington. Ensuring that our web products are usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities, is essential to meeting legal requirements, supporting inclusivity, and upholding UW’s commitment to equity. This process defines how the UMAC Web Strategy team collaborates with UW’s Accessible Technology Services (ATS) to verify compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards and maintain high accessibility standards across all products.

Purpose

This document outlines the formal process the UMAC Web Strategy team follows to ensure accessibility compliance for themes, plugins, and other web products. It aligns with official UW accessibility policies and supports our commitment to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

Scope

This process applies to all UMAC-developed themes, plugins, and related web products. It does not apply to content strategy, information architecture, or editorial changes. This process does not detail internal accessibility testing performed throughout the course of development and testing of new web products and features.

Roles and responsibilities

• Web Strategy Team: Initiates the accessibility review process.
• Web Developer: Responsible for incorporating feedback from ATS.
• Accessible Technology Services (ATS): Provides accessibility testing, consultation, and a formal report.

Procedure steps

1. Determine need for accessibility review

• Request a review when:
  • New elements are introduced and the product is stable.
  • Major changes affect the display of existing elements or data rendering.
• Do not request a review for:
  • Code changes that do not alter data or display.
  • Minor content updates, content strategy adjustments, or information architecture changes.
  • Examples: fixing typos, updating copy, reorganizing navigation without changing functionality.

2. Notify Accessible Technology Services and submit request

• The Web Strategy Team provide Accessible Technology Services with advance notice.
• The Web Developer completes and submits the official consultation request form.

3. Accessible Technology Services review

• Accessible Technology Services tests the submitted product for accessibility compliance.
• Accessible Technology Services provides a detailed report and schedules a consultation meeting with the Web Developer.

4. Incorporate feedback

• The Web Developer addresses issues identified in the Accessible Technology Services report.
• The Web Developer documents any issues that cannot be fixed, including valid reasoning.

5. Follow-up

• Confirm with Accessible Technology Services what has been fixed and what cannot be fixed.
• Accessible Technology Services does not normally recheck work unless requested.
• Request a recheck for:
  • Critical fixes.
  • Highly visible content (e.g., UW homepage).
  • Mission-critical functionality.

6. Continue testing and deployment process

• The Web Strategy team proceeds with their testing and deployment process after accessibility compliance is confirmed.