Accessibility Roadmap Template for PMs

For a medium-sized SaaS product, plan for 6-9 months from a typical starting point. Phase 1 (foundation) takes 4 weeks. Phase 2 (core compliance) takes 8-12 weeks. Phase 3 (full coverage) takes another 12 weeks. The exact timeline depends on how many violations your baseline audit finds and how much of your UI relies on custom components versus accessible defaults.

Both. An accessibility specialist accelerates Phase 1-2 by providing expertise during remediation and helping establish standards. But long-term accessibility requires every frontend engineer and designer to understand the basics. The specialist becomes a force multiplier when they train the broader team rather than being the sole person responsible.

Three layers of prevention work together. First, automated scanning in CI catches approximately 30-40% of issues before they merge. Second, a11y acceptance criteria in user stories catch design-level problems during sprint planning. Third, quarterly manual audits with screen readers catch the issues that automation misses. The [accessibility compliance template](/templates/accessibility-compliance-template) helps structure the ongoing monitoring process.

Frame accessibility in terms leadership already cares about: legal risk (ADA lawsuits increased 300% between 2018-2023), market size (15-20% of the global population has a disability), and enterprise sales (government and large enterprise contracts require VPATs). The [RICE framework](/frameworks/rice-framework) can help you score accessibility initiatives against other backlog items using reach and impact data rather than abstract arguments.

Add accessibility requirements to your vendor evaluation criteria before adopting libraries. For existing third-party components, check if the vendor has an accessibility roadmap. If not, you have three options: replace the component, wrap it with accessible affordances, or file issues and contribute fixes if it is open source. Document the decision and timeline in your roadmap.