Accessibility is embedded in all the work we do and in who Ad Hoc is as a company. In our mission to help government better serve people, we hold a deep sense of responsibility to ensure the products and services we build are designed with all users in mind and don’t create additional barriers to people achieving their goals.
As part of the continued improvement of our accessibility practices, we’ve put together the Ad Hoc Accessibility Beyond Compliance Playbook. This new resource is designed for government agencies and civic organizations who want to improve how they incorporate accessibility into everything from products to contracts to teams.
One of our team’s accessibility champions, Senior UX Mobile Designer Meli Manak, helped lead the effort to create this important resource:
Video transcript:
Accessibility is a non-negotiable, ethical duty in our mission to better serve people. Our new Accessibility Beyond Compliance Playbook is a living resource for organizations who seek to deliver inclusive, human-centered experiences.
We are committed to creating more equitable and inclusive digital services. Check out the plays, share the Playbook with colleagues and connect with us on how we can all continue improving building an accessible future.
As Managing Principal Researcher Elissa Frankle Olinsky described it, Accessibility Beyond Compliance isn’t about checking boxes or meeting minimum legal requirements out of fear. “It’s running to an equitable, inclusive future where end users participate in development and where people building websites think about how an actual human being will interact with them.”
Our Playbook has nine plays that address various actions you can take to improve your accessibility practices. For each play, you’ll see:
- A checklist to guide you through the play and ensure you’re addressing key actions
- Key questions to help you consider all aspects of accessibility and start important conversations with your team surrounding each play’s components
- Common barriers and counterplays to identify common roadblocks you may encounter along your journey and feasible solutions to help you move forward
Follow these plays to better equip your organization and teams with a deeper understanding of accessibility. Then use that knowledge to develop intentional, inclusive practices that will provide more equitable digital services for everyone.
We believe that Accessibility Beyond Compliance requires a broad perspective — to focus not just on building accessible products and services, but also to examine the larger support structures that enable digital service delivery. This means we bring accessible and inclusive approaches to our support systems, the ways we staff our teams, and even the goals that underpin our work. Taking this holistic view strengthens our products and our partnerships with stakeholders, but most importantly, it’s the right thing to do.
— Ad Hoc Creative Director Danny Chapman
If you have questions or feedback, please reach out to us at hello@adhocteam.us. This is a living document that our accessibility specialists maintain, and we welcome input to guide its future iterations.
