How our accessibility specialists and developers work together
Ensuring USA.gov and USAGov.com are accessible to people with disabilities is one of our major priorities. And planning for accessibility starts before we develop a single piece of code.
Learn how our Web Operations team and specialists from our Accessibility team work closely with developers to develop an inclusive digital experience.
Partnering from the start
Our developers think it’s ideal to collaborate with accessibility professionals and developers from the start of a project rather than doing accessibility evaluations after features and websites have been established. By working together initially, we can minimize rework and prevent any delays in getting our products out to market.
Understanding requirements and standards
Developers seeking to apply new and established accessibility standards that federal websites must adhere to are assisted by accessibility specialists in doing so. These include Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates the accessibility of federal websites and electronic resources, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the international standard for web content accessibility.
Developing and testing accessible design and code
The two teams’ members create accessible design and code using common tools and procedures. A expert assesses the accessibility of code and web design features such as color contrast, font sizes, and heading hierarchy during routine inspections and feedback sessions. In addition to doing automated testing using programs like WAVE and ANDI to identify accessibility problems and recommend solutions, we also conduct manual testing using screen readers and keyboard navigation. Before coding problems are pushed to the development, stage, and production environments, accessibility experts and developers find them by completing this testing on a local environment. This guarantees that all interactive features, design components, and information are accessible and gives users a welcoming, hassle-free experience.
Planning and communication
We work in short bursts. Developers refine the work backlog in our project management application at the start of each sprint. A team comprising a lead engineer, team manager, and product manager sets priorities for tasks. As work updates are staged and accepted in the software development platform to integrate changes into the development, staging, and production environments, task allocations and communication take place. To make sure we’ve fixed problems, we test every environment. We get together twice a week during sprints to discuss weekly assignments and resolve any problems that may arise. Members of the accessibility team respond to inquiries from developers regarding features or tools they are developing. The developer and accessibility teams do a retrospective at the conclusion of the sprint to go over what went well and what may be improved.
Ongoing Partnership
Our teams are always evaluating our collaborative work and strategizing our future moves in order to find methods to enhance our accessibility development process. Additionally, by maintaining open lines of communication, we’re creating positive connections and solid cooperative cooperation while ensuring that everyone has access to government information.
