Accessibility Internal Review
Following an internal review of UX and UI practices, I led an initiative to improve accessibility across our products and services through training, governance and improved tooling.
Responding to a need
As part of a review of UX and UI methodologies across BCE's IT teams, I identified a significant gap in how digital accessibility was understood and applied. In response, I developed and led an accessibility improvement strategy focused on building capability, establishing clearer expectations and embedding accessibility into everyday ways of working.
Objective
The initiative focused on two key objectives:
- Improve knowledge and understanding: Build awareness of accessibility and strengthen capability across IT teams.
- Embed accessibility: Integrate accessibility into product delivery processes and establish it as part of business-as-usual practices.
Research methods
To support these objectives, I used a combination of research and stakeholder engagement activities:
Review of training providers: Evaluated the suitability of various accessibility training providers.
Review of accessibility tools: Conducted a comprehensive review of accessibility tools, tested the tools and created a comparison matrix assessing their ease of use, accuracy, and the support and training they provided.
Meeting with key stakeholders: Discussed the proposed approach, secured support and identified funding requirements.
Synthesise insights
The research highlighted that practical, workshop-based training would be more effective than self-paced learning alone. It also reinforced the importance of selecting tools that combined accessibility testing capabilities with training and support. These findings helped shape a capability-building approach that was both practical and sustainable.
Applying the insights
Based on the research insights, I took the following actions:
Training plan: Developed a training plan for all IT staff to improve their understanding of accessibility.
Tool review: Evaluated tools suitable for developing accessible products and for reviewing the accessibility of existing products.
Procurement guidelines: Included the requirement for accessibility to specified WCAG standards in our procurement guidelines and project management templates.
Accessibility audit: Led an accessibility audit of our top 20 products, focusing on critical and serious accessibility issues. I presented the reports to product owners, highlighting accessibility barriers and providing recommendations to improve compliance and user experience.
Reflect
Accessibility is now a requirement for all new projects, with a goal to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards. This requirement is non-negotiable in our IT procurement guidelines and is clearly stated in our requests for proposals from third-party vendors. These guidelines were also adhered to when developing our updated design system, ensuring products are designed with accessible components.
Product teams now have access to accessibility tools that help identify issues earlier in the design and development process. Combined with training and guidance, these tools have made it easier for teams to incorporate accessibility into their everyday work and improve the experience for users.
While accessibility is now better embedded across the organisation, maintaining momentum remains an ongoing challenge. Competing priorities can make accessibility difficult to sustain, which is why demonstrating its impact on real users continues to be an important part of advocacy and engagement.
I continue to advocate for accessibility during strategy and planning meetings, design reviews and communities of practice. Looking ahead, I see opportunities to further strengthen accessibility capability through role-specific training and greater involvement of people with disabilities in usability testing and product evaluation.
