By: Chhavi Dhingra, Public Engagement Senior Manager, WSB
Part 2 of our series, Digital Accessibility in Practice: Moving Beyond Compliance, explores how accessibility works best when addressed in an upstream manner.
Document remediation using built-in accessibility checkers or more advanced tools such as CommonLook plays a key role in identifying issues and supporting quality control, particularly for legacy content. However, experience and broader trends indicate that accessibility is most effective when it is addressed from the outset. Accessibility should be viewed as a fundamental requirement in the creation and design process of digital content.
When accessibility considerations are integrated directly into native files the need for downstream remediation is significantly reduced. Native files include Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel spreadsheets.
Moving beyond compliance means adopting consistent and recommended approaches at the point of content creation, including:
- Adding proper document titles and author information to its properties
- Using proper heading styles to establish a clear and logical structure
- Writing alternative text that conveys purpose and context, not just appearance
- Using descriptive link text instead of generic phrases or long/complex URLs (Uniform Resource Locators)
- Designing tables with simple layouts and clearly defined headers
- Introducing acronyms by spelling them out at least once
- Ensure meaning is not conveyed by color alone and is supported by text or symbols
- Maintaining sufficient contrast between text and background colors
- Confirming that content can be navigated using a keyboard
- Using plain, concise language wherever possible
- Using the ‘Check for Accessibility’ feature and manually checking reading order of documents
These practices by no means restrict creativity. In fact, they improve clarity, reduce ambiguity, and result in content that works more consistently across formats and platforms.
From Compliance to Capability
Digital accessibility becomes sustainable when it is treated as part of everyday work rather than a specialized or corrective task. This shift requires awareness, shared responsibility, and a willingness to revisit long-standing practices. Importantly, digital accessibility is not about achieving perfection; it is about intention, consistency, and continuous improvement.
Organizations that invest in accessibility as a practice often realize broader benefits, including clearer communication, stronger documentation, improved usability, and more consistent user experiences. Compliance may be one outcome, but the greater value lies in creating digital content that more people can reliably access and use.
At WSB, we are continuing to strengthen our accessibility practices by collaborating with partners and clients to integrate accessibility. Whether into document creation, remediation, or web content. As this continues to evolve, we look forward to sharing additional insights and lessons learned from applying accessibility in practice.
Follow along our new series, Digital Accessibility in Practice: Moving Beyond Compliance as we explore practical steps to make digital spaces truly inclusive. Part 1 is available here.
