S2: Develop Accessibility & Equity Compliance Strategy

Notice: applying this to your agency.

The IT Project Resources are not meant to replace your agency’s internal project management practices or prescribe how you must operate. Instead, they offer concepts and tools that can strengthen delivery by providing a scalable framework for project level coordination. All project documentation should be maintained throughout each stage in alignment with agency policies and, where applicable, WaTech requirements and oversight expectations.

 

For Programs and Projects

Ensure the program meets statewide accessibility standards and equity goals in alignment with Washington State policy and WaTech enterprise expectations. This S embeds user experience and human center design, inclusive design principles and equitable service delivery into requirements, design, and validation activities supporting compliance, transparency, and trust among impacted user groups.

  • Integrate accessibility and equity considerations into requirements, design, testing, and deployment.
  • Ensure solution components, including user interfaces, content, workflows, and service delivery models—meet statewide accessibility benchmarks and equity impact criteria.
  • Establish a repeatable approach for validating accessibility and equity compliance throughout the solution lifecycle.

For Programs with Agency‑Led Sub‑Projects

Assess agency‑specific service delivery impacts and user group needs, including populations with accessibility requirements or equity considerations. Provide agency inputs to the enterprise team to ensure statewide alignment. Participate in accessibility reviews, equity impact assessments, and validation checkpoints.

Key Activities:

  • Identify applicable accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1, Section 508) and statewide equity policies.
  • Engage impacted user groups, accessibility specialists, and equity advisors during requirements validation.
  • Document accessibility and equity criteria for solution components, including UI, content, workflows, and service delivery processes.
  • Conduct equity impact assessments to evaluate user experience, access barriers, and service disparities.
  • Align design decisions with statewide accessibility benchmarks and WaTech accessibility guidelines.
  • Define testing protocols, validation steps, and compliance checkpoints for build, testing, and deployment stages.
  • Ensure traceability of accessibility and equity requirements in the Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) and QA Plan.
  • Review of Washington State Technology Policy USER‑01and Digital Accessibility Standard USER‑01‑01‑S.