Accessibility Roadmap Planning Template

An accessibility roadmap translates good intentions into scheduled, measurable work. Without a roadmap, accessibility efforts are reactive: an audit produces a report that sits in a shared drive, remediation happens sporadically, and progress is invisible. A roadmap gives leadership a clear timeline, gives teams concrete deliverables, and gives users confidence that improvements are coming.

Phase 1: Assess (Month 1-2)

Activities

• Conduct a baseline accessibility audit covering representative pages and workflows.
• Evaluate organizational accessibility maturity across people, process, technology, and culture.
• Inventory existing accessibility resources: tools, training, documentation, and personnel.
• Identify legal and regulatory obligations (Section 508, ADA, EAA, EN 301 549) and their implications.

Deliverables

• Audit report with findings categorized by severity and WCAG criterion
• Maturity assessment scorecard
• Risk summary for leadership

Phase 2: Plan (Month 2-3)

Activities

• Prioritize audit findings using the framework in accessibility bug triage and prioritization: critical issues first, then major, then minor.
• Define a conformance target (typically WCAG 2.2 Level AA).
• Estimate remediation effort for each priority tier.
• Identify quick wins (issues fixable in one sprint or less) and structural changes (requiring design or architecture changes).
• Draft budget for training, tooling, specialist hiring, and external support.
• Establish an accessibility governance framework defining roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths.

Deliverables

• Prioritized remediation backlog
• Budget proposal
• Governance charter
• Quick-win list for immediate execution

Phase 3: Foundation (Month 3-6)

Activities

• Execute quick wins to demonstrate momentum and reduce the most impactful barriers.
• Launch accessibility training for developers, designers, and content creators.
• Integrate automated accessibility testing (axe-core, Pa11y) into CI/CD pipelines. See open-source accessibility tools.
• Begin building or updating the design system for accessibility.
• Add accessibility to the definition of done in agile workflows.
• Establish an accessibility champions program.

Deliverables

• Quick wins shipped and verified
• Training completed for initial cohort
• CI/CD accessibility gates active
• Champions identified and onboarded

Phase 4: Remediation (Month 6-12)

Activities

• Work through the prioritized remediation backlog, starting with critical and major issues.
• Conduct usability testing with disabled users to validate that fixes are effective.
• Update the accessibility statement as conformance improves.
• Prepare VPATs/ACRs for products sold to government or enterprise.
• Track progress through accessibility metrics and dashboards.

Deliverables

• Critical and major issues resolved
• Updated accessibility statement
• VPAT/ACR published (if applicable)
• Quarterly metrics reports

Phase 5: Sustain (Month 12+)

Activities

• Implement continuous accessibility monitoring to catch regressions.
• Conduct annual comprehensive audits.
• Continue training for new hires and role changes.
• Review and update the governance framework based on lessons learned.
• Reassess accessibility maturity annually and set new targets.
• Maintain the accessibility champions program with regular meetings, training, and recognition.

Deliverables

• Annual audit reports
• Updated maturity scorecard
• Continuous monitoring dashboards
• Annual roadmap refresh

Customizing the Template

This template is a starting point. Adjust timelines based on:

• Organization size. A startup may compress Phases 1-3 into two months. An enterprise may need six months for Phase 1 alone.
• Current state. If the product has never been audited, Phase 1 will require more time. If an audit already exists, start at Phase 2.
• Regulatory pressure. Impending compliance deadlines (EAA enforcement, Section 508 procurement) may compress timelines.
• Resources. Teams with dedicated accessibility specialists move faster than teams relying solely on generalists.

Presenting to Leadership

Frame the roadmap in terms leadership cares about:

• Risk reduction over time (legal exposure decreasing as conformance increases)
• Cost comparison between proactive investment and reactive retrofitting
• Market access enabled by accessibility (government procurement, enterprise sales, global audience)
• Measurable milestones at each phase

Key Takeaways

• Structure the roadmap in five phases: assess, plan, foundation, remediation, and sustain.
• Start with a baseline audit and maturity assessment to ground the plan in reality.
• Execute quick wins early to build momentum and demonstrate value.
• Integrate accessibility into training, tooling, and agile workflows during the foundation phase.
• Sustain through continuous monitoring, annual audits, and governance review.

Sources

• https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning/ — W3C WAI planning and managing accessibility guidance for roadmap development
• https://www.section508.gov/manage/ — Section 508 program management resources for federal accessibility roadmaps
• https://www.deque.com/blog/accessibility-roadmap/ — Deque guidance on creating phased accessibility roadmaps
• https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/ — IAAP resources for organizational accessibility maturity and planning