You’ve assessed your site, addressed accessibility barriers, and documented your progress towards building a more inclusive digital experience. These investments you’ve made in your site accessibility should be protected. After all, accessibility isn’t just a box you check once – it's an ongoing process that should evolve with your website.  

Websites change constantly. With each new page, image, and video, your site can become more or less accessible. And with the new federal ADA Title II regulations rolling out in early 2026, now is the time to put a clear, actionable accessibility governance plan in place. It’s the best way to maintain progress and ensure ongoing compliance. Here’s how to start: 

Create a shared standard for accessibility

Just like a brand guide ensures visual consistency, a shared accessibility standard ensures your site is usable for everyone. This living document outlines your organization’s expectations for inclusive content – from guidelines for alt text and heading structure to contrast ratios and form labels. 

It may sound complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. Start with core principles from WCAG 2.1 Level AA and expand as your team’s confidence grows. The key is making it simple for anyone who creates or publishes content to follow.

Turn your standards into daily practice

Once you’ve set an accessibility standard, it’s important to share it across your organization and integrate it into your team’s process.  

Formal training can help, but smaller steps can also make a big impact. Start by reviewing real examples in team meetings, creating quick how-to guides, or weaving accessibility checks into existing workflows. This can ensure that any new content – across all mediums – is being developed in an accessible way.  

Your CMS may be able to help, too. Tools like Siteimprove offer CMS integrations that highlight accessibility issues while content is being created – giving your team helpful feedback in the moment.

Build in an accessibility review before content goes live

Even with strong standards, accessibility issues can still slip through. That's why it helps to identify an internal accessibility reviewer – someone who can spot issues and ensure new content aligns with your standards.  

This doesn’t need to be a new role. It could be a marketer, designer, or developer within your organization who engages in periodic training and reviews content before it’s published. The goal is to create a clear checkpoint between content creation and launch.  

Scan regularly, not reactively

Once you’ve chosen the right accessibility tools (like the ones we covered in this article), regular scanning should become a habit. Monthly or quarterly audits can help catch issues early – before they snowball into major fixes.  

Look for recurring patterns in your scan results. Are form fields going unlabeled? Are new blog posts missing proper heading structure? These trends can help focus your training efforts and continuously improve your governance strategy. 

Treat accessibility like any other content standard

Maintaining accessibility isn’t about adding red tape – it's about building habits that make inclusive content the standard. When accessibility is part of your publishing workflow, it becomes second nature. 

Just like your team follows brand guidelines or proofreads before publishing, accessibility checks should be part of the process. With shared expectations, the right tools, and regular reviews, your site can remain accessible for everyone – no matter how often it changes.  

Want to build an accessibility governance plan that works for your team? Reach out to Jennifer Savino, KW2’s CEO – we'd love to help.