Equal Access Toolkit

Overview

IBM's toolkit frames accessibility as an end-to-end workflow. It organizes guidance by project phase: Plan, Design, Develop, and Verify, and positions it as a way to create inclusive experiences with tools and guidance. IBM also highlights a free design kit for accessibility with checklists and handoff assets. Benefit: lower ambiguity about what to do next in real product cycles. Lesson: operationalizing accessibility requires role-specific guidance, not only standards.

Why it matters

If accessibility ownership is unclear, work slips until late-stage audits or never ships. The upside of a structured toolkit is repeatability: teams learn a shared process and reduce one-off heroics. Call to action: define phase gates, assign owners, and use standardized checklists so accessibility becomes routine work.