Tips

8 Routines for Long-Term Accessibility Success

Alexander Xrayd

Accessibility Expert

Read time

5 min

Published

Oct 7, 2025

When the law applies, it applies every day. A one-time effort isn't enough – accessibility work must become part of your daily routines to be sustainable.

Good news: With the right structure, it doesn't have to be overwhelming. We've compiled eight routines that, once established, keep your digital product compliant without taking excessive time.

These tips are based on what we've seen work at our customers – from small agencies to large e-commerce sites.

1. Weekly automated scanning

Set up scheduled scans that run every week and send a report to the responsible person.

Why it works:

•Problems are caught early, before they affect users long

•You build a history showing trends over time

•No one needs to remember to manually run checks

How to do it:

Use a tool like Xrayd to schedule scans. Configure reports to go to Slack, email, or your issue tracking system.

Time investment: 5 minutes to set up, then automatic.

2. Monthly issue review

Once a month, go through all new accessibility issues discovered and prioritize them.

The process:

1.Gather the team (developer, designer, product owner)

2.Review report from automated scans

3.Categorize: Critical (fix this sprint), Medium (plan), Low (backlog)

4.Assign owner for critical issues

Tip: Connect this to your regular sprint planning. Accessibility shouldn't be a separate track.

Time investment: 30-60 minutes per month.

3. Release checklist

Before releasing a new feature, go through a short checklist:

•Keyboard: Can you use the feature without mouse?

•Contrast: Does all text have sufficient contrast?

•Labels: Do form fields have visible labels?

•Alt text: Do new images have descriptive alt?

•Focus: Is focus indicator visible and order logical?

•Screen reader: Do interactive elements work as expected?

Print the checklist and hang it by your kanban board, or add it as template in your issue system.

Time investment: 10-15 minutes per release.

A short checklist at every release catches 80% of problems before they reach production.

4. Quarterly screen reader tests

Automated tools miss the screen reader experience. Every quarter, test complete user journeys with a real screen reader.

Test journey:

1.Go to homepage

2.Navigate to a product page

3.Add to cart

4.Go to checkout and fill form

5.Complete purchase (or simulate)

Tools:

•VoiceOver (Mac/iOS) – free, built-in

•NVDA (Windows) – free, popular among users

•JAWS (Windows) – paid, industry standard

Document what works and what doesn't. Prioritize fixes.

Time investment: 2-4 hours per quarter.

5. Annual expert audit

Once a year, hire an external expert for an in-depth review. Internal bias makes you miss things.

What the expert does:

•Tests with assistive technology (multiple screen readers, different settings)

•Identifies patterns and recurring problems

•Gives prioritized recommendations

•Verifies you meet legal requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA)

Cost: Varies by site size, but expect €5,000-20,000 for comprehensive audit.

ROI: Fixing problems internally after an expert finds them is cheaper than being reported or losing customers.

Time investment: A few hours to prepare and review the report.

6. Onboarding for new team members

Every new developer, designer, or content creator needs basic accessibility knowledge.

Onboarding program:

1.Introduction to WCAG and why it matters (1 hour)

2.Overview of your tools and processes (1 hour)

3.Practical exercise: Test site with keyboard and screen reader (1 hour)

4.Checklist to follow in future work

Tip: Create a short video or documentation that new people can go through at their own pace.

Time investment: 3 hours per new person.

7. Feedback channel for users

Give users with disabilities an easy way to report problems. They find things you never thought of.

Implementation:

•Add clear link in footer: 'Report accessibility problem'

•Form should be simple: Describe problem + Which page + Email (optional)

•Respond within reasonable time – even 'we're working on it' is better than silence

Legally: For public sector, a feedback mechanism is mandatory. For private sector, it's strongly recommended.

Bonus: Satisfied users who get help become ambassadors.

8. Document and celebrate progress

Without measurement, you don't know if you're improving. Document your accessibility score over time.

Metrics to track:

•Number of critical accessibility issues

•Average time to fix reported problems

•Score from automated tools (Xrayd, Lighthouse)

•Number of bugs caught in code review

Celebrate wins:

When you reach milestones (50% fewer issues, zero critical, etc.), acknowledge it! Accessibility work can feel invisible – make the progress visible.

Tip: Present quarterly summary to leadership. It shows the work is producing results.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We don't have resources for all this. Where should we start?+

Start with routine 1 (automated scanning) and 3 (release checklist). They provide the most value for least effort. Add more routines gradually.

Can smaller teams follow all these routines?+

Yes, but adapt them. A 3-person team might do screen reader tests semi-annually instead of quarterly, and skip formal onboarding. What matters is having some routine – not following a template rigidly.