Measuring Accessibility Program Success: Metrics That Matter
Measuring accessibility program success requires tracking metrics that demonstrate both technical compliance and business impact. Without measurement, accessibility programs can't show progress, justify investment, or identify where to focus improvement efforts. The right metrics transform accessibility from a vague commitment into a managed, improvable discipline.
This guide covers which accessibility metrics actually matter, how to collect them, and how to report progress to different stakeholders.
Why Measurement Matters
The Measurement Gap
Many organizations pursue accessibility without measuring it effectively:
Common measurement failures:
- Tracking activity (audits completed) instead of outcomes (issues resolved)
- Measuring only automated findings (missing 65-75% of issues)
- No baseline to compare progress against
- Metrics that don't connect to business value
- Data that executives can't interpret or act on
What Good Measurement Provides
Effective accessibility measurement enables:
Progress visibility: Can you actually see improvement over time?
Resource justification: Can you demonstrate ROI on accessibility investment?
Prioritization: Which areas need the most attention?
Accountability: Are teams meeting their accessibility responsibilities?
Risk management: What's your current compliance exposure?
Categories of Accessibility Metrics
Compliance Metrics
Compliance metrics measure conformance to standards like WCAG 2.2.
Issue-based metrics:
- Total accessibility issues identified
- Issues by severity (critical, high, medium, low)
- Issues by WCAG criterion
- Issues by property/application
- Issues by team
Conformance metrics:
- Percentage of pages meeting WCAG AA
- Number of properties fully conformant
- Criteria with highest failure rates
Trend metrics:
- New issues introduced (per sprint/month)
- Issues resolved (per sprint/month)
- Net change over time
- Days to resolution by severity
Process Metrics
Process metrics measure how accessibility is integrated into workflows.
Development process:
- Percentage of projects with accessibility requirements
- Accessibility test coverage in CI/CD
- Code reviews including accessibility checks
- Accessibility issues caught before production
Remediation process:
- Average time to remediate by severity
- Percentage of issues remediated within SLA
- Remediation backlog age
- Rework rate (issues reopened)
[Governance metrics](https://testparty.ai/blog/accessibility-governance-framework):
- Policy compliance by team
- Training completion rates
- Exception requests and approvals
- Audit completion on schedule
Capability Metrics
Capability metrics measure organizational accessibility maturity.
Team capability:
- Developers trained on accessibility
- Teams with accessibility champions
- Teams able to self-audit
- Specialists hired vs. planned
Tool coverage:
- Properties with automated scanning
- Design system component coverage
- Testing tool utilization
[Maturity indicators](https://testparty.ai/blog/accessibility-maturity-model):
- Maturity model stage
- Maturity assessment scores over time
- Capability gaps identified
Business Impact Metrics
Business impact metrics connect accessibility to organizational outcomes.
Risk metrics:
- High-severity issues on public-facing properties
- Properties without accessibility testing
- Vendor accessibility compliance status
- Legal exposure indicators
User impact metrics:
- User complaints related to accessibility
- Support tickets from users with disabilities
- Task completion rates (if measured)
- User satisfaction scores
Financial metrics:
- Remediation costs avoided through prevention
- Productivity impact of accessible internal tools
- Market reach to disability community
Building Your Metrics Framework
Start with Objectives
Define what you're trying to achieve before selecting metrics:
| Objective | Key Questions | Metrics to Track |
|------------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| Demonstrate compliance | Are we meeting standards? | Conformance %, issues by severity |
| Show progress | Are we improving? | Trend lines, net change |
| Justify investment | Is spending delivering results? | Issues prevented, cost per issue |
| Enable accountability | Are teams doing their part? | Team-level compliance, training completion |
| Manage risk | Where are we exposed? | High-severity count, coverage gaps |Select Meaningful Metrics
Good metrics are:
- Actionable (you can do something about them)
- Comparable over time
- Understandable by the audience
- Connected to objectives
- Feasible to collect
Avoid vanity metrics:
- Metrics that only go up (cumulative counts)
- Metrics without context (raw numbers without baseline)
- Metrics that measure activity, not outcomes
- Metrics that can be gamed easily
Establish Baselines
You can't show progress without knowing where you started:
Baseline assessment:
- Audit representative sample of properties
- Run automated scans across portfolio
- Document current process maturity
- Record training completion rates
- Note current team capacity
Document your baseline:
- Date of baseline assessment
- Methodology used
- Scope covered
- Key findings
- Starting metric values
Set Targets
After establishing baselines, set improvement targets:
Example targets:
- Reduce critical issues by 50% within 12 months
- Achieve 100% training completion within 6 months
- Reach automated scan coverage of 90% of properties
- Reduce average remediation time from 45 to 14 days
Target-setting principles:
- Ambitious but achievable
- Time-bound
- Aligned with organizational priorities
- Supported with resources
Data Collection Methods
Automated Collection
From testing tools:
- Automated scanner results
- CI/CD pipeline accessibility checks
- Monitoring platform data
From development tools:
- Issue tracker accessibility labels
- Code review metrics
- Deployment frequency
From enterprise systems:
- Training completion (LMS)
- Vendor assessments (procurement)
- Audit schedules (compliance)
Manual Collection
Periodic assessments:
- Manual audit findings
- Maturity assessments
- User research findings
Team reporting:
- Sprint accessibility work completed
- Remediation updates
- Challenge/blocker reports
Aggregation and Analysis
Data integration:
- Centralize data from multiple sources
- Normalize metrics for comparison
- Automate where possible
Analysis cadence:
- Weekly: operational metrics for teams
- Monthly: trend analysis for management
- Quarterly: strategic review for executives
- Annually: comprehensive assessment
Reporting and Dashboards
Executive Reporting
Executives need high-level views focused on risk and progress.
Executive dashboard elements:
- Overall compliance score or percentage
- Trend direction (improving, stable, declining)
- High-priority risk items
- Resource utilization vs. need
- Key milestone progress
Executive report format:
| Metric | Current | Previous | Target | Status |
|-----------------------|---------|----------|--------|-----------|
| Critical issues | 12 | 18 | <10 | Improving |
| Properties scanned | 85% | 78% | 95% | On track |
| Training complete | 92% | 85% | 100% | On track |
| Avg. remediation days | 21 | 28 | 14 | Improving |Reporting frequency: Quarterly with monthly exception alerts.
Management Reporting
Management needs actionable detail to drive improvement.
Management dashboard elements:
- Issues by property and team
- Remediation progress and blockers
- Resource allocation effectiveness
- Process compliance indicators
- Upcoming audit and deadline status
Reporting frequency: Monthly with weekly operational summaries.
Team Reporting
Teams need specific, actionable information.
Team dashboard elements:
- Issues assigned to team
- Sprint accessibility work items
- Testing coverage for their products
- Training status for team members
- Performance against targets
Reporting frequency: Weekly integrated with sprint cadence.
Dashboard Design Principles
Make it actionable:
- Every metric should suggest a response
- Include drill-down capability
- Highlight items needing attention
Make it honest:
- Show problems, not just successes
- Include context for interpretation
- Avoid misleading visualizations
Make it accessible:
- Dashboards themselves must be accessible
- Alternative formats for different needs
- Clear labeling and descriptions
Common Measurement Challenges
"We Don't Have Data"
Start small:
- Begin with automated scan data
- Track issues in existing systems
- Add accessibility fields to current processes
Build gradually:
- Add data sources over time
- Improve collection methods iteratively
- Don't wait for perfect data to start
"The Numbers Look Bad"
Frame appropriately:
- Finding issues is progress (awareness)
- Baseline establishes starting point
- Trends matter more than absolute numbers
Focus on improvement:
- Celebrate reduction in issues
- Highlight prevention successes
- Compare to baseline, not to perfection
"Teams Game the Metrics"
Design for integrity:
- Multiple metrics that cross-check
- Outcome metrics vs. activity metrics
- External validation (audits)
Align incentives:
- Reward genuine improvement
- Include quality indicators
- Make gaming visible
"Executives Don't Care About These Numbers"
Connect to what they care about:
- Legal risk exposure
- Customer impact and revenue
- Regulatory compliance status
- Competitive position
Use their language:
- Risk, not WCAG violations
- Customer impact, not issue counts
- Business enablement, not remediation
FAQ: Measuring Accessibility Programs
What's the most important accessibility metric?
No single metric captures accessibility success. At minimum, track: total issues by severity, trend over time (net new vs. resolved), and coverage (what percentage of properties are tested). These three together show current state, direction, and completeness. Add process metrics (training, policy compliance) and business impact metrics as your program matures.
How often should we measure accessibility?
Automated scanning should run continuously or at least weekly. Issue tracking should be real-time in your workflow. Trend analysis and management reporting should be monthly. Executive reporting is typically quarterly. Comprehensive maturity assessments are annual. Match measurement frequency to decision-making cadence.
What baseline is appropriate for setting targets?
Use your own organization's baseline, not industry benchmarks. External benchmarks are inconsistent and often not comparable to your context. Measure where you are today, then set targets for improvement. A 50% reduction in critical issues is meaningful regardless of whether you started with 20 or 200.
How do we measure accessibility of third-party vendors?
Collect and track VPATs (Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) from vendors. Score vendors on a consistent scale. Monitor user complaints about vendor products. Include vendor accessibility in procurement decisions and track vendor compliance over time. Some organizations create vendor accessibility scorecards.
Should we make accessibility metrics public?
Consider publishing an accessibility statement that includes your commitment, standards you follow, and known limitations. Full metrics disclosure is optional but demonstrates transparency. Some organizations publish annual accessibility reports. At minimum, have internal transparency—hiding metrics from teams reduces accountability.
Build Your Measurement Capability
Measuring accessibility program success transforms accessibility from aspiration to management discipline. Start with the metrics you can collect today, establish baselines, and build capability over time.
Get the data you need to measure progress. TestParty's AI-powered platform provides comprehensive accessibility scanning with trend tracking, severity categorization, and reporting dashboards—giving you the metrics foundation for program management.
Get your free accessibility scan →
We're transparent about our process: AI helped create this article, and our accessibility experts verified it. We believe this combination produces better content than either alone. Before making decisions, validate against your context or consult professionals like our team.
This guide is derived from our detailed TestParty research reports, which we typically reserve for customers. We've chosen transparency over exclusivity here, contributing to the open knowledge ecosystem that makes the web better.
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