Defining the Accessibility Problem

Introduction

Before you can find an appropriate solution, you need to define the accessibility problem that must be solved. This step gets to the heart of the matter. By clearly and accurately diagnosing the problem, you can focus your organization’s resources on making changes that will result in significant positive changes. If you start out with a poorly defined problem (or no problem definition at all), then you are likely to waste time and money chasing a mirage. In addition, if you do not define the problem in advance, in clear and unambiguous terms, then you risk having someone else (e.g., the consultant) define it for you. And, in that case, how do you know that the consultant is defining the problem in a way that best suits your business vs. the way that best suits his or her consulting agenda?

How do you know if there really is a problem?

The first thing to do is figure out if there really is an accessibility problem that needs to be solved. The U.S. government has made rules in recent years concerning access to consumer electronics, information technology, and telecommunications products and services. If your organization has not had one or more people focused on accessibility in the past, it is a good bet that your products and services are not fully accessible.

In addition, you may want to consider the following points to help determine if you have an accessibility problem:

• Are government or other RFPs / RFQs asking for certain accessibility features that you know your product does not have?



• Does your product’s design differ from accessibility standards or guidelines developed and promoted by authoritative sources such as the U.S. Access Board or the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)? You may want to identify which particular requirements you do and do not comply with.



• Have you tried to complete a self-assessment (e.g., the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT) and if so, do the results define the accessibility problems?



• Do your competitors’ products have certain accessibility features that your products do not? Have you obtained or looked at one of their products to see what functions it performs? Which part of the published requirements does the competitor's product seem to meet?



• Have you tested your product, service, or website using people with disabilities? Have you had any feedback at all from people with disabilities? If not, or if you are unsure of how to conduct user tests using people with disabilities, have you or your design team tried to use your product or service while simulating functional limitations (e.g. without vision, without hearing, with physical manipulation restrictions)?



• Has your staff received any training on accessibility that enables them to determine accessibility flaws in your product or service? Has your staff attended any conferences that focus on technology and disability?

Look at available solutions for reference

For some accessibility problems, you may be able to find off-the-shelf solutions or strategies. (For instance, there are over 30 tools that can help you evaluate and repair the accessibility of a website.) Looking for solutions early in the process can be useful because you may find a way to solve your accessibility problem without repeating the legwork of others. Reviewing potential solutions also may help you understand the accessibility problem in more detail and/or provide you with a new perspective on its scope.

If, after defining your accessibility problem, you believe that you may need the services of a consultant, then you need to define the activities that the consultant should perform. Defining the accessibility problem and the needed consultant activities will help in writing the RFP. These steps take place over the next few pages of the ACC.

Next Steps

1. Check out the links to the supporting information listed below; review this information as needed.
2. When you are ready to move on, click the Next link at the bottom of the page to review a list of typical accessibility problems and select which ones apply to your situation.

Supporting Information

• Defining Accessibility Problems in Measurable Terms
• Usability and Accessibility: Interplay
• Accessibility Myths