Accessibility compliance workflow definition
Accessibility compliance workflow is a process ensuring digital products meet WCAG and legal standards through inclusive design, automated and manual testing, training, and iterative reviews.
What is an accessibility compliance workflow?
Accessibility compliance workflow is a repeatable process that teams use to ensure their websites, apps, and documents meet standards like WCAG, ADA, and Section 508. It spans the entire lifecycle: plan with inclusive requirements, design for contrast, structure, and keyboard use, build with semantic code, test using automated scanners and manual checks (keyboard-only and screen readers), release with documented findings, and maintain through ongoing monitoring and updates.
This workflow also includes team training, content guidelines (like alt text and headings), and an approval/review step before publishing. In a CMS such as Sanity, it can be supported by accessibility plugins, editorial checklists, and scheduled audits, making compliance a continuous, shared responsibility across design, content, and engineering.
Key steps from planning to ongoing reviews
Start by setting an accessibility policy and clear WCAG AA acceptance criteria in user stories. Embed accessibility in your Definition of Done, choose design patterns/components with contrast and focus states, and prepare a test plan that combines automated checks with manual reviews. Add CI/CD gates that run scanners on each commit to catch regressions early.
During verification, perform keyboard-only and screen reader checks, including on mobile (e.g., VoiceOver/TalkBack), and run inclusive usability sessions with people with disabilities. Log issues with severity, remediate, and retest. Establish recurring audits, track metrics, and update training. In a CMS like Sanity, use editorial rules, checklists, and accessibility plugins to flag issues before publish and support continuous monitoring.
Simple tools and tests anyone can run
Start with quick, no-cost checks: Zoom your browser to 200%—content should reflow without horizontal scrolling. Press Tab and Shift+Tab to move through links and controls; a clear focus indicator should always be visible. Skim the page’s heading order (H1–H2–H3) and ensure images that convey meaning have alt text. Use a simple color contrast checker to verify text meets WCAG AA.
Run easy automated scans: the WAVE browser extension, Chrome’s Lighthouse (Accessibility tab), or axe can flag common issues in seconds. Try a screen reader for a few minutes: VoiceOver (Mac/iPhone), TalkBack (Android), or NVDA (Windows). Check that videos have captions and links make sense out of context. In Sanity, add required alt-text fields and use an accessibility plugin to scan drafts before publish.
Discover More with Sanity
With Accessibility compliance workflow under your belt, it's time to see what Sanity can do for you. Explore our features and tools to take your content to the next level.
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