I've been familiar and working with Web accessibility requirements and content technology for over a decade now. First was my own research into Section 508 and accessibility compliance for healthcare websites, followed by accessibility requirements from consulting and creating content models across many Content Management implementations, and then usability and accessibility requirements in our user interface itself.

Those who know Tridion, Content Management, and/or Web development in general, are likely already familiar with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and perhaps regulation like Section 508 or the more recent, European Accessibility Act. There are also great resources on good web practices like A List Apart among many others.

Tridion customers and partners should also know Tridion Sites and Tridion Docs have the content modeling, metadata, and delivery features to help organizations create accessible experiences, meeting the level of compliance sought.

What you might not know is that RWS itself can help on your journey towards accessibility. This short post shares some of the information, videos, and services available to organizations, whether or not you're using Tridion or not.

First of all, learn about the European Accessibility act from Amanda Alvarado to learn about its requirements and how it's more than just compliance. The regulation can be an opportunity for better customer experiences while making both business and social impacts.

RWS Accessibility Services offers compliance assessments, accessibility strategy, and remediation services. I appreciate the full offering and especially the assessment (sometimes called an "accessibility audit") since one potential trap with meeting regulatory requirements isn't making the changes. The potential pitfall is making the wrong changes, perhaps even overspending on things that don't necessarily address the rules or don't actually help your users.

Whether through RWS or another company, I highly recommend evaluating where you are in terms of current digital experiences before committing time and your backlog to addressing accessibility compliance. Confirm which experiences, what level of support, and perhaps even which browsers apply since at the end of the day, compliance will be a combination of perhaps automated tests and manual checks against your user interfaces in all their forms.

And if needed, here's a PDF brochure describing the services. Though perhaps you and your team would appreciate watching a webinar about the EU Accessibility Act. 

After confirming your current accessibility level for your own experiences, then perhaps consider tooling, whether that's integrated into your CMS like Tridion partner AAANow or something else you run at a different step in your content supply chain.

Have you evaluated your website or digital experience for accessibility compliance? How did it go? What advice could you share with others?

Or might you have other questions? Feel free to ask in the forum! I'm inviting more customers and experts to continue the conversation and celebrate your successes with accessibility and all the other challenging content requirements. Thanks for championing accessibility!