Building Accessibility Into a Redesign
Getting conformance as an output of the redesign instead of a remediation project six months later.
A redesign is the cheapest moment to get this right, and the most commonly missed.
A redesign is the cheapest moment in the entire lifecycle to get accessibility right, and the most commonly missed one. Design systems get approved with failing contrast, component libraries ship without keyboard support, and the accessibility conversation starts after launch — when every fix is a retrofit.
What's at stake: Retrofitting accessibility into a finished build routinely costs multiples of designing it in, because the fixes land in components and markup that are already in production. The design decisions that cause the most failures — color, focus styling, form patterns — cost nothing to get right up front.
This is you if
- A redesign or replatform is scoped and accessibility isn't in the requirements
- The brand palette has never been checked for contrast
- Your agency says the site will be 'ADA compliant' without naming a standard or a test method
- The last redesign produced an accessibility problem you're still paying for
What we actually do, in order.
Write it into the requirements
WCAG 2.1 (or 2.2) Level AA named in the RFP and contract, with acceptance criteria and a testing method — not a vague 'ADA compliant' clause.
Review the design system
Palette contrast, focus indicators, typography, target sizes, and form patterns reviewed before a single template is built.
Audit the component library
Each interactive component — nav, modal, tabs, accordion, carousel, date picker — tested as it's built, so every page inherits a conformant foundation.
Gate the launch
A pre-launch audit against the agreed standard, with findings resolved as a condition of acceptance rather than a post-launch punch list.
Deliverables, not a status update.
- Accessibility written into scope, contract, and acceptance criteria
- A design system and component library that pass at the source
- A launch-gate audit report as delivery evidence
- No remediation project trailing the redesign
Services this draws on
Other situations we're brought in for.
Careers Pages & Hiring Portals
An application process a qualified candidate with a disability can actually finish.
Read the use casePDFs, Forms & Documents
Fixing the document library that most accessibility programs quietly skip.
Read the use caseK-12 School Districts
District sites, parent portals and the classroom platforms families are required to use, under a Title II deadline.
Read the use case