Obtaining Resources to Support the Initiative
Table of contents
A policy may contain or communicate rationales for undertaking this work, and maintaining organization-wide buy-in. A knowledge of these rationales can also be helpful when generating buy-in for the policy-creation process; they can be presented to organizational leaders, and/or used to disseminate accessibility knowledge. These rationales can range from the punitive (you will be sued if you do not), to the aspirational (it is a human-rights cause).
Refer to Why Accessibility is Important, for a list of rationales that can be used to generate buy-in.
Budgeting For Accessibility
Budgeting
Think through the various types of budgeting that should be undertaken in support of an accessibility policy; or mandated through that policy. Consider the following needs:
- software and hardware, including implementation burden and technical debt
- staff time and effort
- resources to pay for vendor or third-party services
Project participants, from administration to specialists, should understand that accessibility-aware initiatives will often require more technology, time, and money than accessibility-unaware initiatives do. Here are some examples:
- Limited remediation and evaluation services may require time for an accessibility specialist to work through each piece of content.
- Vendor contracting for content remediation may take an indeterminate amount of time for approval.
- Material may have unique formatting in which automated processes will need heavier manual remediation.
Financial Resourcing
Adequate financial resources must be committed to accessibility if policy is to be effective and actionable. One successful approach requires centralizing accessibility expertise in one well-funded department (e.g. IT), which serves this role across systems, departments, and projects. Another involves vesting one individual. e.g, an accessibility expert or project manager) with this responsibility. While individual institutions’ financial practices will vary, in all cases a mechanism is required for obtaining financial support across a range of projects.
Non-Financial Resourcing
Even with a financially secured accessibility team in place, access to adequate staff time and support must be ensured. One successful approach is to implement a project-management system that allows project sponsors or managers to assign staff with accessibility responsibilities as appropriate.