Building an Enterprise Accessibility Team: A Complete Guide

Building an enterprise accessibility team requires more than hiring a few specialists. Fortune 1000 companies with successful accessibility programs have developed specific organizational structures, reporting relationships, and operational models that enable accessibility at scale. This guide synthesizes patterns from leading enterprise accessibility teams to help you build a program that delivers results.

Whether you're starting from scratch or scaling an existing effort, understanding how large organizations structure their accessibility teams provides a roadmap for your own program development.

Why Enterprise Accessibility Requires Dedicated Teams

Accessibility can't be an afterthought bolted onto existing processes. At enterprise scale, the complexity demands dedicated expertise.

The Scale Challenge

Enterprise digital properties typically include:

• Hundreds of applications across web, mobile, and internal tools
• Thousands of pages with continuously changing content
• Multiple development teams working independently
• Legacy systems that predate accessibility standards
• Third-party integrations with varying accessibility quality
• Continuous deployment that can introduce regressions

Managing accessibility across this landscape requires systematic approaches that ad-hoc efforts can't sustain.

The Expertise Gap

Most developers and designers lack accessibility training. According to the WebAIM Million 2024 analysis, 95.9% of websites fail basic accessibility tests—demonstrating that general web development skills don't automatically produce accessible results.

Dedicated accessibility specialists:

• Understand WCAG requirements deeply
• Know how assistive technologies actually work
• Can evaluate beyond automated testing
• Train others effectively
• Drive organizational change

The Coordination Requirement

Without coordination, accessibility efforts fragment:

• Different teams adopt different standards
• Testing approaches vary in quality
• Fixes don't transfer between projects
• Knowledge gets siloed
• Progress can't be measured consistently

A dedicated team provides the coordination layer that makes enterprise accessibility manageable.

Team Structure Models

Enterprise accessibility teams typically follow one of three organizational models, each with distinct advantages.

Centralized Model

Structure: A single accessibility team serving the entire organization.

Characteristics:

• All accessibility specialists report to one leader
• Team provides services to all business units
• Consistent standards and processes organization-wide
• Clear ownership and accountability

Advantages:

• Consistency in approach and standards
• Efficient resource allocation
• Deep expertise development
• Clear escalation paths
• Easier to maintain institutional knowledge

Challenges:

• Can become bottleneck at scale
• May be perceived as disconnected from product teams
• Response times can lag during high-demand periods
• Risk of "throwing over the wall" dynamic

Best for: Organizations beginning accessibility programs or those with strong central governance.

Federated Model

Structure: Accessibility specialists embedded in product/development teams, with light central coordination.

Characteristics:

• Accessibility experts sit within product teams
• Central team sets standards but doesn't execute
• Product teams own their accessibility outcomes
• Coordination through community of practice

Advantages:

• Deep product knowledge among specialists
• Faster response within teams
• Better integration with development workflows
• Shared ownership of accessibility

Challenges:

• Consistency harder to maintain
• Specialists may be pressured to compromise
• Harder to share learnings across teams
• Uneven capability development

Best for: Large organizations with mature, empowered product teams.

Hub-and-Spoke Model

Structure: Central team of experts plus embedded champions in product teams.

Characteristics:

• Central hub provides deep expertise and governance
• Embedded "spokes" (champions) in each product area
• Hub handles complex issues; spokes handle routine work
• Regular coordination between hub and spokes

Advantages:

• Combines consistency with local presence
• Scales better than pure centralized model
• Champions build accessibility culture in teams
• Complex issues get expert attention

Challenges:

• Requires investment in champion development
• Role clarity between hub and spokes can blur
• Champions may have competing priorities
• Coordination overhead

Best for: Organizations scaling accessibility across many teams.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Regardless of structure, enterprise accessibility teams typically include several specialized roles.

Accessibility Program Lead

Responsibilities:

• Overall program strategy and vision
• Executive stakeholder management
• Budget ownership
• Cross-functional coordination
• Policy and governance development
• Progress reporting and metrics

Skills required:

• Strong communication and influence
• Understanding of accessibility and business context
• Program management capability
• Executive presence

Typical background: Product management, program management, or senior accessibility specialist who developed leadership skills.

Accessibility Engineer/Developer

Responsibilities:

• Technical implementation of accessibility fixes
• Code review for accessibility
• Developer tooling and automation
• Technical standards documentation
• Complex remediation work

Skills required:

• Deep knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript accessibility
• ARIA implementation expertise
• Understanding of assistive technology behavior
• Testing with screen readers and other AT

Typical background: Front-end development with accessibility specialization.

Accessibility Designer

Responsibilities:

• Accessible design patterns and systems
• Design review for accessibility
• Prototype accessibility testing
• Designer training and support
• Design system accessibility documentation

Skills required:

• Visual design with accessibility expertise
• Color, typography, and layout accessibility
• Interaction design for diverse users
• User research with disabled participants

Typical background: UX/UI design with accessibility focus.

Accessibility QA/Tester

Responsibilities:

• Manual and automated accessibility testing
• Test case development
• Assistive technology testing
• Regression testing
• Issue documentation and tracking

Skills required:

• Testing methodology expertise
• Proficiency with multiple assistive technologies
• WCAG evaluation capability
• Clear issue documentation

Typical background: QA engineering with accessibility certification.

Accessibility Trainer/Advocate

Responsibilities:

• Training program development and delivery
• Awareness campaigns
• Champion program management
• Internal communications
• Culture change initiatives

Skills required:

• Training and presentation ability
• Adult learning principles
• Change management
• Community building

Typical background: Learning and development or accessibility specialist with training interest.

Team Sizing and Budgeting

Team size depends on organization scale, current maturity, and program goals.

Sizing Guidelines

Early stage (building foundation):

• 1 program lead
• 1-2 accessibility specialists
• Ratio: ~1 specialist per 50-100 developers

Growth stage (scaling program):

• 1 program lead
• 3-5 accessibility specialists (mix of roles)
• Champion network: 1 per product team
• Ratio: ~1 specialist per 30-50 developers

Mature stage (optimizing performance):

• Program leadership team
• 5-10+ specialists across roles
• Extensive champion network
• Ratio: varies based on automation level

Budget Considerations

Enterprise accessibility budgets typically include:

Personnel (60-70% of budget):

• Salaries for dedicated team members
• Contractor/consulting support
• Champion program incentives

Tools and technology (15-25% of budget):

• Automated testing platforms
• Manual testing tools
• Training platforms
• Monitoring and reporting tools

Training and development (10-15% of budget):

• Team certification and education
• Organization-wide training programs
• Conference attendance
• External expertise

Typical budget ranges:

• Small enterprise (1,000-5,000 employees): $300K-$800K annually
• Mid enterprise (5,000-20,000 employees): $800K-$2M annually
• Large enterprise (20,000+ employees): $2M-$5M+ annually

These investments typically deliver strong ROI through lawsuit prevention, market expansion, and operational efficiency.

Building Your Team: Phase-by-Phase

Phase 1: Foundation (Months 1-6)

Hire the core:

• Program lead with executive access
• 1-2 accessibility specialists with complementary skills (technical + testing)

Establish basics:

• Current state assessment
• Initial standards and policies
• Priority identification
• Stakeholder mapping

Quick wins:

• Address highest-risk issues
• Fix template-level problems
• Establish testing baselines
• Build credibility through results

Phase 2: Expansion (Months 6-18)

Grow the team:

• Add specialists based on gap analysis
• Begin champion recruitment
• Establish training capabilities

Build infrastructure:

• Implement tooling strategy
• Develop training curriculum
• Create governance framework
• Integrate with development processes

Expand coverage:

• Extend to more products/teams
• Deepen engagement with priority areas
• Build monitoring capabilities

Phase 3: Optimization (Months 18+)

Mature operations:

• Optimize team structure based on learnings
• Refine processes for efficiency
• Develop advanced capabilities
• Measure and improve continuously

Scale impact:

• Embed accessibility in culture
• Automate routine work
• Focus specialists on complex challenges
• Contribute to industry advancement

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Insufficient Authority

Problem: Accessibility team can advise but not enforce.

Solution: Ensure team has authority to block releases with critical accessibility issues, or establish clear escalation paths to executives who will support them.

Over-Reliance on Tools

Problem: Assuming automated tools catch all issues.

Solution: Automated testing catches only 25-35% of issues. Build manual testing capability and consider platforms like TestParty that combine automation with expert review.

Isolation from Development

Problem: Accessibility team operates separately from product development.

Solution: Integrate accessibility into development workflows, embed specialists in teams where possible, participate in sprint planning and design reviews.

Underinvestment in Training

Problem: Small accessibility team can't scale impact.

Solution: Invest heavily in training developers, designers, and content creators. Multiply team impact through education.

Lack of Executive Sponsorship

Problem: Program lacks organizational support for difficult decisions.

Solution: Secure committed executive sponsor who understands accessibility importance and will support the team when trade-offs arise. Build the business case that earns this support.

Measuring Team Effectiveness

Track metrics that demonstrate team value and guide improvement.

Output Metrics

• Issues identified and resolved
• Products/pages audited
• Training sessions delivered
• People trained
• Champion network size

Outcome Metrics

• Organization-wide compliance levels
• Issue density trends (issues per page)
• Time to remediation
• Regression rates
• Legal complaints received

Impact Metrics

• Lawsuit risk reduction
• Customer satisfaction among users with disabilities
• Brand reputation indicators
• Market opportunity captured

FAQ: Building Enterprise Accessibility Teams

How many accessibility specialists do I need?

Team size depends on your organization's scale and maturity. A common starting point is 1 accessibility specialist per 50-100 developers, scaling to 1 per 30-50 as programs mature. Most enterprises begin with 2-3 specialists and grow based on demonstrated need and program success.

Should accessibility sit in IT, legal, or another department?

Common placements include IT/Engineering (closest to implementation), Product (aligned with user experience), or a dedicated Accessibility office reporting to a senior executive. The most successful teams have direct access to both technical implementation and executive decision-making, regardless of formal placement.

How do I hire accessibility specialists when there's a talent shortage?

The accessibility talent market is competitive. Consider: hiring strong developers/designers and providing accessibility training, partnering with certification programs (IAAP CPACC/WAS), developing internal talent through champion programs, and using external consulting while building internal capability. Remote hiring expands your candidate pool significantly.

What certifications should team members have?

The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) offers the primary certifications: CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) for broad accessibility knowledge, and WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist) for technical web focus. These demonstrate baseline competency but practical experience matters most.

How do I get started with limited budget?

Start with one or two dedicated specialists focused on highest-risk areas. Use automated tools to scale their impact. Build a champion network of existing employees. Focus training on developers working on critical user paths. Demonstrate ROI to earn expanded investment over time.

Start Building Your Accessibility Capability

Enterprise accessibility teams don't appear overnight—they develop through deliberate investment in people, processes, and tools. Start where you are, demonstrate value, and expand as you prove impact.

Begin with understanding your current state. TestParty's AI-powered platform can assess your accessibility landscape, helping you prioritize where to focus initial team efforts and demonstrate the scale of work needed to justify investment.

Get your free accessibility scan →

Our approach: technology augments humans. AI contributed to drafting this guide, with our accessibility professionals ensuring accuracy. We recommend treating this as educational context, not definitive advice for your specific situation—though we're happy to provide that too.

This article originated in our TestParty research department. We've decided to publish it openly rather than keeping it for customers only. Accessibility expertise benefits from being shared widely, not hoarded.

Related Articles

• Accessibility Team Structure: Centralized vs. Federated Models
• How to Get Executive Buy-In for Accessibility Investment
• Measuring Accessibility Program Success: Metrics That Matter