Program Maturity Assessments
for Accessibility Teams
An Online / In-Person Course planned for December 2023 and/or January 2024
The date for this course is to be announced, pending a new federal government spending bill. We understand that it is impossible for federal employees to plan travel and/or external training while the continuing resolution is in effect. Once the government's budget issues, are resolved, we plan to announce the date(s) of this course as an online (and possibly in-person) offering.
To be notified when the course announcement is made, please fill in the form on this page.
Course Outline
Measuring organization-wide program maturity with respect to accessibility is becoming a regular practice for many. For example, in a 2022 survey of U.S. federal government departments, agencies were asked to rate maturity levels of various aspects of their programs using a four-point scale:[1]
In the subsequent year’s government-wide Section 508 assessment, conducted over the Spring and Summer of 2023, there were 105 questions asked of agency 508 teams (/accessibility points of contact).[2] Roughly two fifths of the questions were aimed at assessing program maturity.
The guidance from the government is quite light on how to go about measuring program maturity. (It is noteworthy that the 2023 assessment instructions provided little in the way of supplemental guidance on how to go about assessing program maturity.)
Participants
This course is for those responsible for (or aspire to be) reporting on the maturity of accessibility programs (in the government or elsewhere).
Course Duration
8 hours, plus breaks.
Course Structure and Objectives
We aim to provide accessibility practitioners with a grounded understanding of techniques for assessing program maturity. The course is arranged into seven topics:
- Understanding Maturity Models: The history of the Capability Maturity Model; scales used; purposes for informing continuous improvement.
- Ad hoc approaches versus Social Science Methods: Pros and cons of various approaches; Available resources versus resourcefulness; Data quality.
- Data collection methods – artifacts: Measuring quality of artifacts, such as process documentation, finding evidence of past activities.
- Data generation methods – interviews: How to conduct interviews; Data co-generation by interviewer and interviewee (versus the misconception that interviews are a ‘data collection’ exercise); what to say (and what not to say); security and privacy issues of interview data.
- Data collection methods – avoid: Why to avoid various methods in the exercise of program maturity assessments, including surveys, focus groups, informal conversations (including issues such as hearsay).
- Tracking program maturity: How and why to track program maturity over time; how to identify pain points and suggest resolution to known issues.
- Implementation: A key outcome of the course is for each participant to Devise their own Program Maturity Assessment Roadmap to addresses their unique needs according to their own organization's context.
Course fee: $345 if having attended the ICT 2023 Symposium | $545 if only attending the course
Discounts: Government (10%); Academia (20%); Non-Profit (20%); Student (50%)
To be notified when the course announcement is made, please fill in the form on this page.
About the Instructors
Dr. Sam Kanta
Dr. Chris M. Law
Dr. Law delivers innovative projects with and for the accessibility community. Dr. Law is the Chair of the 2023 ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium, the owner of Accessibility Track Consulting, LLC, and the Executive Driector of Standard Accessibility Reporting, Inc.
Dr. Chris M. Law Bio (Read More...)
References
[1] www.section508.gov/manage/section-508-assessment
[2] Section 508 report to congress and the president: Accessibility of federal electronic and information technology. The department Of Justice & The General Services Administration, January 2023