Prioritizing Accessibility Issues and Remediation

Severity Scale

While conducting accessibility testing, assigning issues a severity rating is helpful. Severity ratings help contextualize issues and their impact on users. The Digital Accessibility Team utilizes the following severity scale when conducting reviews.

Severity	Description
Critical	These are issues that will stop a student/user from completing whatever task they are trying to do. There is no workaround, and outside assistance is required to complete the task.
Significant	These are issues that will increase the time it takes a user to complete something, cause frustration, or reduce their efficiency. They do not fully block a user but could if enough of them exist
Minor	These are issues that are technically not compliant with WCAG guidelines but do not impact the user's ability to complete tasks or impede their ability to use a technology.

Remediation Timeline

When accessibility issues are identified, it is crucial to address them promptly. Remediation efforts should be prioritized based on the severity of the identified issues, with higher-severity issues accorded priority over their lesser counterparts. The Digital Accessibility Team recommends the following timelines for remediating identified issues.

Severity	Timeline to Remediation
Critical	2 Months
Significant	4 Months
Minor	6 Months