The Five Pillars of UVAC
The framework is built upon five foundational concepts that ensure a holistic approach to inclusion, serving as a statement of work, roadmap, and training resource simultaneously.
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Strategy
Establishes the organization’s digital accessibility policy, multi-year roadmap, and executive commitment.
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Organization
Defines clear roles and responsibilities and establishes a Digital Accessibility Committee for oversight.
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Capability
Focuses on building internal expertise through role-based training and providing the necessary accessibility tools.
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Process
Integrates accessibility into every phase of the digital product lifecycle—from initial planning to final support.
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Content
Ensures all digital assets, including marketing materials and multimedia, are accessible by design.
Roles and Responsibilities
Management & Leadership
- Governance: Oversight of roadmap and compliance.
- Procurement: Ensuring vendor VPATs.
- Resourcing: Budget for audits and tools.
Engineering & UX
- Shift Left: Early design testing.
- Design Systems: Reusable WCAG components.
- Validation: Auto-linting and screen reader tests.
Customer Service
- Etiquette: Disability awareness training.
- Feedback Loops: Reporting barriers to engineering.
- AT Literacy: Troubleshooting Assistive Technology issues.
The UVAC Lifecycle
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Assessment & Remediation
Identifying existing barriers and prioritizing technical fixes.
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Integration
Incorporating standards into SOPs and code reviews.
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Monitoring & Maintenance
Ongoing auditing to prevent accessibility "debt".
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Education
Upskilling workforce for WCAG 2.2+.
Success Metrics
Time taken to fix critical accessibility bugs.
Percentage of staff certified in role-specific UVAC duties.
Current adherence to WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA standards.