Models, Frameworks and Charters

AbilityNet Digital Accessibility Maturity Model (DAMM)

This functions as a 7 step management tool to help leverage all capacity at an organisation to map existing accessibility, devise roadmaps and check in on progress. This model has 5 “dimensions” that are seen as parts of an overall strategy: vision, leadership, processes, capability and procurement, and 5 levels of achievement in each. The free downloadable version of the model includes a list of suggested questions to ask when consulting with stakeholders. 

AbilityNet HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model

The HE and FE maturity model enables you to judge the maturity of your whole organisation's digital accessibility. This again has 7 sections with sets of questions with levels of 'agreement' as a response, which are then automatically scored to give you an overall rating of Bronze Silver or Gold. This interactive resource helps you:

• Determine where you are in the Accessibility Maturity Spectrum
• Understand risks; build on benefits
• Identify support needs

W3C Accessibility Maturity Model (draft)

This describes 7 “dimensions” where accessibility applies including communications, ICT development lifecycles and the organisational culture, along with suggestions in each dimension of points (or organisational functions) where accessibility can be evidenced, as well as varying levels of achievement in each point. This practical and customisable guidance, with a structure for co-ordinating evidence, is the most helpful method of presenting information to busy, praxis based professionals.

Accessible Books Consortium Charter for Accessible Publishing

Our objective is to make our e-books accessible to all. With this objective in mind, we, the signatories to this Charter, hereby commit to:

1. stating our accessibility policy on our web-site, including adherence to this Charter;
2. nominating a senior manager who will be responsible for accessibility;
3. raising awareness among, and provide technical training for, relevant staff;
4. designating and publicising a point of contact in our organization to assist persons with print disabilities to access our publications;
5. testing our digital publications for accessibility, incorporating appropriate feature descriptions and metadata;
6. monitoring our progress in this area;
7. promoting the adoption of accessibility standards throughout the supply chain; and
8. supporting national and international collaboration with organisations representing persons with print disabilities so as to increase the availability of publications in accessible formats.

Contact us if you wish to become a signatory to the Charter for Accessible Publishing.

Publishing Accessibility Action Group Accessible Publishing Charter

Our objective is to make all content accessible and to embed accessible practices throughout the publishing ecosystem. Every aspect of the publishing industry is integral to our mission, and we encourage you to consider signing the PAAG Charter for Accessible Publishing to show your commitment to this objective. You can join either as a publisher or as a publishing ally. Join our impressive group of signatories and show your support for this important declaration.

With this in mind, we, the signatories to this charter, hereby commit to:

1. raising awareness among, and providing training for, relevant staff.
2. nominating a company “accessibility champion” who can bring together key stakeholders to discuss potential accessibility improvements and act as a liaison for all accessibility information.
3. publishing our accessibility policy on our website, including our commitment to this Charter.
4. designating and publicising a point of contact in our organisation to assist persons with disabilities to access alternate formats of our content.
5. partnering with national and international organisations that provide support for the availability of publications in accessible formats.
6. incorporating appropriate accessibility features within our digital publications and platforms, according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and other appropriate accessibility standards.
7. advocating for accessibility standards and collaboration throughout the publishing supply chain from author to reader.
8. utilising the accessibility metadata opportunities available to aid with the discovery of accessible content.
9. testing and validating content to ensure it is usable by people with print disabilities. Ideally this would include testing by persons with lived experience.
10. monitoring our progress in this area and regularly assessing the accessibility of our digital publications and platforms.

If you wish to become a signatory to the Charter for Accessible Publishing, please complete this declaration. 

Even UP: A UK and Irish University Presses Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity

UK and Irish university presses are committed to equity, diversity and inclusivity in our workplaces, in who we work with and in what we publish.  Recognising that different presses and parent institutions have their own EDI initiatives but eager to collaborate in order to amplify them, we undertake to:

1. Share best practice for EDI across presses.
2. Commit to using either the AUPresses survey tool to collect demographic data, or our own surveys of comparable quality, in order to assess and understand areas in which we can improve, benchmarking across presses where appropriate.
3. Create and share a programme of training and events, such as guest speakers, webinars, online symposia.
4. Promote and demonstrate transparency and equal opportunity in recruitment and career progression processes in university presses, including:
   • paid internships,
   • listing salaries/salary bands on all entry level roles and on all recruitment advertising, subject to commercial or confidentiality requirements,
   • inter-press career mentorship for colleagues from under-represented groups.
5. Work together to raise awareness of career opportunities in our presses with groups that are currently underrepresented in scholarly publishing.
6. Have a designated lead for equality, diversity and inclusivity in our organisations and have those leads meet regularly.

Assess Your Section 508 Program Maturity

For the US only, there is a framework available to assess your organisational maturity within Section508 legislative requirements. This assesses for 4 criteria levels: Ad Hoc, Planned, Resourced and Measured, and covers 5 domains: Acquisition, Agency technology life cycles, Testing and Validation, Complaint Management and Training. It also includes a basic and advanced checklist.