Accessibility Agencies: Full-Service Compliance Implementation Partners

When I talk with organizations about their accessibility challenges, one question keeps coming up: "Should we hire an agency or handle this internally?" The honest answer depends on where you are. Accessibility agencies make sense when you need expertise fast and don't have time to build it, but they're not the right fit for everyone.

This guide breaks down what accessibility agencies actually do, how to find good ones, and when partnering with an agency makes more sense than alternatives.

Q: What do accessibility agencies do?

A: Full-service accessibility agencies provide end-to-end WCAG compliance—auditing your site, fixing violations, training your team, and maintaining compliance over time. They function as an outsourced accessibility department for organizations that need expertise without building dedicated internal teams.

When You Actually Need an Accessibility Agency

I've seen organizations hire agencies prematurely and waste money. I've also seen them wait too long and scramble after receiving demand letters. Here's how to know if an agency makes sense for your situation.

An agency probably makes sense if:

• You've received a demand letter or lawsuit
• You need compliance fast (enterprise deal, regulatory deadline)
• Your team has zero accessibility knowledge
• You're rebuilding a large site and want it right from the start
• You've tried internal approaches and they've stalled

An agency might be overkill if:

• You have developers willing to learn
• Your site is relatively small and simple
• You're already using automated monitoring
• Budget is severely constrained
• You just need an audit, not ongoing partnership

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, accessibility specialist roles have grown significantly as organizations recognize this need. But hiring internally takes time most organizations facing compliance pressure don't have.

What Full-Service Accessibility Agencies Provide

The Core Services You're Paying For

Accessibility audits go beyond running automated tools. Good agencies conduct manual testing with actual screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), keyboard navigation, and cognitive walkthroughs. They'll test your critical user paths—the flows that actually matter for your business.

One distinction worth understanding: some agencies deliver audit reports and walk away. Full-service agencies stick around to help fix what they found.

Remediation implementation means actually writing code or guiding your developers through fixes. The best agencies work with your development team rather than creating dependency. They might pair program on complex components, review pull requests, or provide detailed fix specifications your developers can execute.

Training and enablement should be part of any good engagement. Otherwise, you'll just accumulate new issues after the agency leaves. Training typically covers developers, designers, content creators, and QA teams—each needs different knowledge.

Ongoing monitoring catches regressions before they become problems. This might mean periodic re-audits, continuous scanning integration, or accessibility review of new features before launch.

Extended Services Some Agencies Offer

Not every engagement needs these, but they're available:

VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) development matters for enterprise sales. Government contracts and large enterprises often require VPATs documenting your product's accessibility conformance. Agencies can prepare these professionally.

Legal coordination becomes relevant during demand letter responses or settlements. Some agencies have relationships with accessibility-specialized attorneys or can serve as expert witnesses. Note: the agency isn't your lawyer—they provide technical expertise to support legal strategy.

User testing with people with disabilities validates that technical compliance actually translates to usability. Screen reader users, keyboard-only users, and users with cognitive disabilities provide feedback no automated tool can replicate.

How to Find and Evaluate Accessibility Agencies

What Good Agencies Have in Common

After watching organizations work with various agencies, patterns emerge about what separates excellent partners from mediocre ones.

IAAP-certified team members matter. The International Association of Accessibility Professionals offers CPACC and WAS certifications that validate knowledge. An agency without any certified staff is a red flag.

They test with actual assistive technology. Ask specifically: "What screen readers do you test with? How do you test keyboard navigation?" Answers should be specific (NVDA on Firefox, JAWS on Chrome, VoiceOver on Safari) rather than vague.

They understand your technology stack. React, Angular, WordPress, Shopify—each has different accessibility patterns and challenges. Agencies with relevant platform experience will move faster and make better recommendations.

They can show references from similar organizations. Case studies are marketing; references you can actually call are validation. Ask for three references in your industry or with similar technology.

Questions to Ask Before Signing

About their process:

• "Walk me through how you'd approach our site's audit."
• "How do you prioritize which issues to fix first?"
• "What happens when you find issues your automated tools missed?"

About their team:

• "Who specifically would work on our engagement?"
• "What certifications does your team hold?"
• "How long has your team been doing accessibility work?"

About outcomes:

• "What WCAG conformance level have you achieved for similar clients?"
• "How do you measure success beyond compliance?"
• "What happens if we're not satisfied with the results?"

About sustainability:

• "How do you prevent new issues after you leave?"
• "What training do you provide our team?"
• "What ongoing support options are available?"

Red Flags to Watch For

Guarantees of 100% compliance. WCAG has subjective criteria and edge cases. No legitimate agency promises perfection. They should commit to comprehensive, good-faith effort.

Pushing overlay widgets as solutions. If an agency recommends overlays, they either don't understand accessibility or prioritize easy sales over actual compliance. Walk away.

Vague methodology. "We run some tools and do manual testing" isn't good enough. They should describe specific tools, testing protocols, and assistive technologies used.

No development capacity. Agencies that only audit without fixing anything leave you holding a problem you may not know how to solve. Unless you specifically want audit-only, ensure they can implement.

Pricing dramatically below market. Full-service accessibility isn't cheap because good practitioners are scarce. Suspiciously low pricing usually means inexperienced teams or narrow scope.

Understanding Agency Pricing

What These Engagements Actually Cost

Transparency about pricing helps you budget realistically:

Comprehensive audit (50-100 pages): $15,000-$50,000 depending on site complexity, number of unique templates, and testing depth. Enterprise applications with complex workflows cost more than marketing sites.

Full remediation project: $50,000-$200,000+ depending on how many issues exist, how complex fixes are, and whether the agency implements or guides your team.

Ongoing retainer: $5,000-$25,000/month for continuous support, periodic audits, and new feature review. Higher end includes dedicated accessibility resources.

Training programs: $5,000-$25,000 per engagement depending on format (recorded vs. live), audience size, and customization level.

According to Forrester research on digital accessibility, organizations spending on accessibility compliance typically see ROI through reduced legal risk, expanded market reach, and improved user experience for all users.

Factors That Affect Cost

Site complexity matters most. A WordPress brochure site with 20 pages costs far less than a React e-commerce platform with product configurators, filtering systems, and checkout flows.

Current accessibility state. If you've never done accessibility work, there's more to fix. Sites that have maintained some accessibility practices require less intensive remediation.

Your team's capability. If your developers can implement fixes from specifications, you'll pay for guidance rather than implementation—which costs less.

Timeline pressure. Rush engagements (legal deadlines, enterprise deals) command premium pricing. Starting proactively before pressure builds saves money.

Agency vs. Platform vs. Internal: Choosing Your Approach

When Agencies Work Best

Agencies excel when you need human judgment for complex situations. Custom widget accessibility, nuanced WCAG interpretation, user testing, training—these require expertise that automation can't replicate.

They're also valuable when you need to move fast. Building internal capability takes months; agencies can start remediating in days.

When Platforms Work Best

Platforms like TestParty excel at continuous, scalable compliance. Once you've achieved baseline accessibility (sometimes with agency help), maintaining it through automated monitoring and fix generation is more cost-effective than ongoing agency retainers.

The economics make sense: platforms cost $15,000-$60,000/year and run continuously. Agency retainers for similar coverage cost $60,000-$300,000/year.

Many organizations use both—agency for initial heavy lifting and complex issues, platform for ongoing maintenance.

When Internal Works Best

Building internal accessibility teams makes sense if:

• Accessibility is core to your product/mission
• You're large enough to justify dedicated headcount
• You want full control over methodology
• Long-term investment makes business sense

The challenge: accessibility talent is scarce. Recruiting certified accessibility professionals takes months, and they're expensive.

Making Agency Partnerships Succeed

Before You Sign

Document your goals clearly. "Get WCAG 2.2 AA compliant" is better than "improve accessibility." Specific targets let everyone know what success looks like.

Identify internal stakeholders. Someone needs to own the relationship, make decisions, and unblock work. Without clear ownership, projects stall.

Audit your current state. Even running free tools (Lighthouse, browser extensions) before hiring gives you baseline understanding and helps you evaluate agency findings.

During the Engagement

Stay engaged. The best outcomes come from partnership, not handoff. Participate in findings reviews, ask questions, have your team shadow agency work.

Fix as you go. Don't wait for a complete audit to start remediating. Address critical issues immediately while comprehensive work continues.

Document institutional knowledge. What the agency learns about your codebase and accessibility challenges should transfer to your team, not disappear when they leave.

After the Project

Plan for sustainability. Who maintains accessibility after the agency engagement ends? Without a plan, you'll drift back toward non-compliance.

Continue monitoring. Compliance degrades as sites change. Whether through agency retainer or platform subscription, ongoing monitoring is essential.

FAQ Section

Q: How long do accessibility agency engagements typically take?

A: Initial audits take 2-6 weeks depending on site size. Full remediation projects run 2-6 months for significant sites. Ongoing retainer relationships continue indefinitely. Timeline depends heavily on your team's availability to implement and review work.

Q: Can an agency guarantee we won't get sued?

A: No. Agencies can significantly reduce legal risk by achieving genuine compliance, but no guarantee eliminates lawsuit possibility. Legitimate accessibility (not overlays) is your best protection, but plaintiff attorneys can still file regardless.

Q: Should we use the same agency for audit and remediation?

A: Usually yes—they already understand your codebase. However, getting a second opinion audit from a different agency is reasonable if you question the first agency's findings or want validation.

Q: How do we transition from agency to internal or platform?

A: Good agencies plan for this. They should document patterns, train your team, and create resources that transfer. Transition to platform-based monitoring like TestParty typically happens after initial remediation stabilizes your compliance baseline.

Q: What's the difference between an agency and a consulting firm?

A: Terminology varies, but agencies typically offer implementation capacity (they write code), while consulting firms often provide strategy and guidance without hands-on development. Full-service accessibility agencies do both.

Finding the Right Partner for Your Situation

The accessibility agency landscape varies widely in capability and approach. Taking time to evaluate options carefully pays off—the wrong agency wastes budget and delays compliance, while the right partner transforms how your organization approaches accessibility.

For organizations needing immediate compliance traction, agencies provide valuable acceleration. For long-term maintenance, platforms like TestParty provide cost-effective continuous monitoring and automated remediation that complement or replace ongoing agency retainers.

Ready to understand your current accessibility state? Get a free accessibility scan to see where you stand before engaging any partner.

Related Articles:

• Best Accessibility Consultants by Industry: 2025 Directory
• What to Expect from an Accessibility Audit
• Accessibility as a Service: The Future of WCAG Compliance

We leverage AI in our content creation workflow, combining machine efficiency with human expertise in accessibility. TestParty specializes in CI/CD accessibility integration and automated WCAG testing. This article is informational—please consult qualified professionals for compliance decisions.