Comparison of the Different Accessibility Maturity Models
A Guide to Choosing the Right Solution
One of the most important things you can do as part of a healthy accessibility program is continually monitor your progress and evaluate how ongoing efforts are stacking up. Based on our years of experience assessing accessibility programs, it’s clear that businesses often understand the higher-level concept—what it is, why it matters, and what achieving it could entail for them.
Where organizations seem to struggle is in the detailed, step-by-step process of evaluating where they stand.
If we might employ a cheap analogy, it’s like looking at a map. You might know your destination and the general direction, but without knowing your current position, planning an effective route is nearly impossible.
Enter accessibility maturity assessments.
What is an Accessibility Maturity Assessment?
Briefly, an accessibility maturity assessment can help an organization in some of the following ways:
- Pinpointing Strengths and Weaknesses: An accessibility maturity assessment provides a comprehensive analysis of a business’s current practices, articulating what they are doing well and where they need to make improvements. Whether it’s enhancing training programs, refining policies, or integrating new tools, understanding strengths and weaknesses is the foundation for strategic growth.
- Developing Holistic Understanding: When done right, digital accessibility audits and conformance reports are great for benchmarking products. Otherwise, they have no visibility into the myriad other organizational aspects that come into play. Accessibility maturity assessments help you understand the full picture.
- Facilitating Prioritization: With finite budgets and resources, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of strategically optimizing operations. An assessment helps clarify which initiatives need immediate attention and which can be part of a longer-term plan. A more meticulous approach ensures that resources are being allocated effectively and progress is being optimized to keep stakeholders happy.
- Renewed Interest: Sometimes, the day-to-day gets boring and repetitive. It’s just a fact. By refocusing efforts and working to achieve new heights, momentum is created as teams work toward new milestones.
- Altering the Roadmap: Armed with these insights, it should be easy to update your existing roadmap with clear and actionable next steps. To maintain accountability, make sure to include specific assignees, milestones, metrics for success, and timelines. When it comes time to perform another maturity assessment, reflect on the good and the bad, the wins and the losses as a unified team.
What is an Accessibility Maturity Model?
Maturity models are the structured frameworks we use to assess digital accessibility programs. Where guidelines and standards help us create exceptional products, maturity models ensure we are able to do so efficiently and sustainably over the long-term.
Several frameworks have been created for this purpose. Currently, the three most popular are the W3C Accessibility Maturity Model, the Level Access Digital Accessibility Maturity Model (DAMM), and the Microsoft Accessibility Evolution Model (AEM).
Popular Accessibility Maturity Models
Accessibility Maturity Model by W3C
The Accessibility Maturity Model is published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessible Platform Architectures working group. Right now, it’s a draft note document, meaning that none of the content within has been endorsed by W3C itself and input is encouraged. This having been said, it is the most thorough and documented methodology around.
Inspiration was taken from ISO/IEC 30071-1. It outlines seven dimensions, which are (in no particular order):
- Communications: Accessibility of internal and external, formal and informal, major and minor messages need to be provided in multiple formats.
- Knowledge and Skills: There is ongoing education to fill the gaps that exist.
- Support: Individuals are available for customers and employees with accessibility-related needs.
- ICT Development Lifecycle: Web, software, and hardware accessibility considerations are embedded into all levels of development processes.
- Personnel: Job descriptions, recruitment, employee resource networks, and more reflect a shared commitment to accessibility.
- Procurement: Any third-party products that an organization acquires or agrees to utilize have been proven to comply with accessibility guidelines and standards.
- Culture: There is a solid set of shared beliefs, values, policies, and processes that positively reflect the benefits of including everyone.
Under each dimension, there are sections on how to evaluate the support maturity (i.e. the level of conformance), as well as acceptable “proof points”. A proof point represents an objective piece of evidence (a deliverable) like a procurement document, training handout, or accessibility conformance report. Along with the technical guidance, there is a downloadable Excel workbook that can be filled out by a trained accessibility consultant.
Digital Accessibility Maturity Model by Level Access
The Digital Accessibility Maturity Model (DAM) from Level Access builds off of the Carnegie Mellon Capability Maturity Model (CMM). The CMM was originally written to support the improvement of software development teams. Level Access modified it in 2015 to incorporate applicability to digital accessibility related initiatives.
Like the W3C Accessibility Maturity Model, there are seven different dimensions, but here they look a little different. Note that only definitions for the dimensions not covered already in the accessibility maturity model have been provided.
- Governance and Policy: Accountability for organization accessibility, including program ownership, risk management, and investment strategy.
- Communications: Effective communication of accessibility initiatives.
- Development Life Cycle: Successful embedding of accessibility best practice across the development life cycle.
- Support: Effectiveness of support mechanisms for users and guidance documentation to enable accessibility and inclusion.
- Procurement: Managing accessibility through procurement practices like vendor selection, purchasing, and contracting.
- Knowledge and Skills: Training implementation and management on digital accessibility.
- Culture: Cultural reflection of values, practices, and commitments that uphold and support inclusivity.
In addition, the DAMM rates accessibility support across all of these dimensions by level (1 through 5). The five levels, in order from least to most mature support are as follows:
- Initial: The organization is just getting started. When accessibility is considered, it is in an uncontrolled, reactive, and ad-hoc manner.
- Repeated: A few processes have been implemented, and there is some consistency. However, these processes haven’t been implemented across the entire organization yet.
- Defined: Now we’re really making some progress! Knowledge, processes, and skills are widely available across the organization. Digital accessibility has started to get considered from product inception.
- Managed: KPIs are being tracked effectively and issues are envisioned before they actually happen. Digital accessibility efforts can now be considered sustainable.
- Optimizing: The entire organization is focused on continual process refinement. They are recognized as leaders in the community. Accessibility stops being an objective and turns into something the company is known for as they work to innovate and drive widespread change.
Accessibility Evolution Model by Microsoft
Microsoft’s Accessibility Evolution Model (AEM) combines the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) with the aforementioned Digital Accessibility Maturity Model (DAMM) and lessons hard-learned across the company. It was created in response to an executive decision made back in 2016 to prioritize accessibility efforts. The thing that sets the AEM apart is the way it seeks to run accessibility “like a business”. There are eight dimensions, listed below. Aside from the need to always put people first, there is no preferred order.
- People & Culture: Improve overall representation of people with disabilities and inclusion.
- Vision, Strategy, and Engagement: Establish and implement an accessibility strategy.
- Investments: Build in the right people, processes, and technology.
- Standards: Establish a measurable standard for accessibility.
- Training, Support, and Tools: Implement systems to scale accessibility.
- Procurement: Partner with suppliers to improve accessibility.
- Product Development Lifecycle: Embed accessibility across the product development lifecycle.
- Sales, Marketing, and Communications: Effectively communicate the accessibility story.
These dimensions are what are used to assess the company’s level of maturity. The five levels are the same as the ones listed in the DAMM, see above.
Other Accessibility Maturity Models
As alluded to above, these models are by no means the only ones. Others have been developed with their own unique features and regional adaptations that could be more suitable for your particular institution. Here is some information to get you started:
- CSU ATI Capability Maturity Model (CMM): Developed by the California State University (CSU) system under its Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), this model focuses on enhancing digital accessibility across higher education institutions. It provides a structured pathway for universities to integrate accessibility into their culture, processes, and policies. The model outlines goals, which are each measured by status indicating the level of maturity. Also, there is an established policy that says each goal is to be re-evaluated on a yearly basis with documentation to understand where further improvement can occur.
- HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model: Developed by AbilityNet and McNaught Consultancy, this model is specifically tailored for the higher education (HE) and further education (FE) sectors in the UK. It was created in response to the 2018 Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations which mandated digital accessibility for public sector organizations.
- Accessibility Capability Maturity Model (ACMM) Developed by the California Community Colleges Accessibility Center, is a framework that aims to guide colleges and districts achieve digital accessibility. It can easily be customized to fit resource constraints, and is divided up into stages: assess, plan, implement, and repeat each year.
Our Advice
Now that you know the similarities and differences of each model, you are probably wondering which accessibility maturity model to choose. Unfortunately, this is where we have to advise that “it depends.”
There is no easy answer, though the fact that you’re searching for this information in the first place is a solid indicator that you are on the right path. Here is what we advise businesses consider:
- How far along is the program? In earlier stages, rapid improvement is more important than levelling up. The W3C Accessibility Maturity Model makes it easy to focus specifically on each dimension. It also provides the clearest guidance.
- What is the size of your company? The larger the institution, the more people need to be brought into alignment. The W3C Accessibility Maturity Model has the greatest amount of documentation.
- Are you already working with an accessibility consultant? Different firms specialize in different methodologies and may have a preference for one or more of these models.
- Are there specific options for your region, industry, or institution? For example, we highlighted several models designed specifically for higher education. Review any industry-specific requirements, or feel free to reach out to us using the form below for personalized guidance.
Whichever model you choose, you really can’t go wrong, and it probably matters less than you think it does. If one doesn’t work, feel free to experiment and integrate the concepts from another. Every organization is different.
Having trouble utilizing one of these models at your organization? Have you found another one that we should know about? Let’s chat!