When planning a new website or redesign, accessibility should be considered from the very beginning. Building accessibility into the project from the start is far easier, less expensive, and more effective than fixing barriers after launch.
Accessibility ensures that people with disabilities can perceive, navigate, and interact with your website. It also improves usability, search visibility, and the overall quality of the digital experience for everyone.
Below are key steps to help ensure accessibility is included throughout your website project.
Start with accessibility as a project requirement
Accessibility should be included as a core requirement when planning a new website project.
This means:
- Defining accessibility expectations at the beginning of the project
- Aligning the website with WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard
- Including accessibility requirements in vendor contracts and statements of work
- Allocating time for accessibility testing and remediation
If accessibility is not considered at the planning stage, it often becomes more difficult and expensive to address later in the project.
Choose accessible platforms and tools
The technology used to build your website can significantly affect accessibility.
When evaluating platforms, themes, or tools, consider whether they support accessible development and content creation practices.
For example:
- Does the CMS provide accessible templates and components?
- Are forms, navigation systems, and media players accessible?
- Can developers control semantic HTML and accessibility attributes?
- Can accessibility issues be identified during development and content creation?
Selecting tools that support accessibility early helps prevent systemic issues across the entire website.
If your website runs on WordPress, it should be built with the Rochester Core theme. Rochester Core has already been reviewed for accessibility and helps ensure a cohesive brand identity. This option may be especially helpful for teams or projects without dedicated web development resources, as it is supported and managed by the University Marketing and Communications digital team.
Design with accessibility in mind
Accessibility should be incorporated during the design phase rather than added later.
Design teams should consider:
- Color contrast that meets accessibility requirements
- Clear page structure and heading hierarchy
- Accessible navigation and menus
- Meaningful link text
- Form labels and instructions
- Layouts that work well with screen magnification and responsive design
- Interactive elements designed to work for people using keyboards, touch, or other input methods, not only a mouse
Design decisions strongly influence whether the final website will be accessible once implemented.
Build accessibility into development
Developers play a key role in ensuring that accessibility is built into the technical foundation of the site.
During development, accessibility issues can often be identified and resolved before the site is launched. For example, developers can use accessibility linters and testing tools—such as axe DevTools—to detect common accessibility issues while building templates and components.
Development practices should include:
- Using semantic HTML elements
- Ensuring all functionality works with keyboard navigation
- Providing accessible forms and clear error messages
- Supporting screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Testing components during development rather than after launch
Addressing accessibility during development helps ensure that many technical issues are resolved before content is added.
Create and publish accessible content
Accessibility also depends on how content is created and published.
As pages are being built, content authors should check for accessibility issues directly in the browser using tools such as the Silktide Toolbar. This allows common issues—such as missing alternative text, unclear link text, or heading structure problems—to be identified and corrected as content is created.
Content creators should focus on:
- Writing clear headings and structured content
- Adding meaningful alternative text to images
- Creating descriptive links
- Ensuring tables and lists are structured properly
- Publishing accessible documents and media
Addressing accessibility during content creation helps prevent large numbers of issues from accumulating across the site.
Monitor accessibility after launch
Even when accessibility is addressed during design, development, and content creation, websites continue to evolve.
Monitoring tools such as Siteimprove can crawl public websites to identify accessibility issues and track progress over time. These tools are most effective when used for ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement, rather than as the first step in identifying problems after a site is completed.
Regular monitoring helps teams:
- Identify accessibility issues as new content is published
- Track improvements over time
- Maintain accessibility standards across the website
Where to get help
If your project involves a new website, platform implementation, or major redesign, consider consulting with the digital accessibility team early in the process.
We can help with:
- Accessibility planning and requirements
- Guidance during design and development
- Testing strategies
- Resources for content creators
Early collaboration can prevent costly accessibility issues and help ensure a successful project launch.