M365 PlaybooksMicrosoft 365 apps · Teams · SharePoint· Plan · Adoption
Plan adoption for accessible content
Purpose
Accessible content depends on authors more than on settings. An adoption plan gives each group the few habits that matter for their work, shows them why with real examples, and keeps those habits going after the launch.
Overview
The few habits each group needs, champions who model them, and messages tied to the Deploy waves.
- Effort
- About 5 person-days, then a few hours a month
- Duration
- Drafted in 2 weeks; runs through Deploy
- Complexity
- Low
- Who's in the room
- Communications lead, accessibility lead, champions, employees who use assistive technology
Risk of not doing it
People see checker warnings without understanding why they matter, and fix them only when forced, if at all.
Key activities
The plan in order: what must be true first, what to decide, then how to configure the pilot and production.
Prerequisites
Pick the habits that matter for each group
Communications and HR need headings, alt text and plain language; meeting organizers need captions and shared materials in advance; page authors need accessible layouts and contrast. Keep each group's list to three to five habits. Use the first content sample to choose: the habits that fix the most common findings come first.
Decisions
Decision: How do you show why it matters?
Rules alone rarely change habits; experience does. A short demonstration of a screen reader on an inaccessible document, ideally led by a colleague who uses one and is willing, makes the point in minutes.
Options
- Policy announcement only
- Short demonstrations with real examples, then the habits
Recommended default: Short demonstrations with real examples, then the habits
Decision: Use champions?
A colleague who can say "use the heading styles, it takes ten seconds" does more than a policy. One champion per department, with Microsoft's accessibility training as a starting point, is usually enough. Give champions early access to templates and the guide, and a short way to pass questions to the accessibility lead.
Options
- No champions
- One champion per department
Recommended default: One champion per department
Pilot configuration
Test the materials
Try the guide, the demonstration and the messages with the Deploy pilot, including people who use assistive technology, and rewrite what doesn't land. Check that the materials themselves are accessible; inaccessible training about accessibility undermines the message.
Production configuration
Run with each wave and keep it going
Brief each Deploy wave, add accessibility to onboarding, and use the monthly sample to send targeted reminders to teams where patterns appear. Thank teams that improve.
Make it enforceable
Templates and the checker keep the habits visible in every document; champions and onboarding keep them current.
Partly enforced. The gaps are a risk until a mechanism covers them.
Approval and readiness
Brief championsChange: Inform
Habits, demonstration and materials.
Move on when: Champions can model the habits
Launch with each waveChange: Explain
Demonstration, guide and habits per group. Keep the demonstration short and use real documents from that group's own work.
Move on when: Each group knows its habits
Keep it goingChange: Sustain
Onboarding and targeted reminders from the sample. Share one improvement each month from the sample, so people see their effort matters.
Move on when: Accessibility is part of onboarding
Common challenges
If youLead with compliance
What tends to happenPeople hear an obligation, not a reason, and do the minimum.
A better approachLead with a real example of who is excluded and how small the fix is.
If youTrain everyone on everything
What tends to happenLong courses are forgotten and few habits change.
A better approachGive each group three to five habits that matter for its work.
If youMake it a one-time launch
What tends to happenHabits fade within months and new staff never hear about them.
A better approachPut accessibility in onboarding and send reminders based on the monthly sample.
Checkpoints
Pilot
- Does each group have three to five habits?
- Have assistive technology users reviewed the materials?
Production
- Is accessibility in onboarding?
- Are reminders targeted using the sample?
Success measures
Capture a baseline before you start, or you won't be able to show the change.
| Measure | Where you see it | Good direction |
|---|---|---|
| Authors who can name their group's habits | Champion check-ins or pulse survey | Up |
| Sampled content meeting the checklist | Monthly sample | Up |
Ready-to-use text
Habits by audience
Everyone: headings, alt text, meaningful links. Communications and HR: plain language, accessible templates, captions on video. Meeting organizers: share materials in advance, captions on, describe what's on screen. Page authors: single-column layouts, sufficient contrast, alt text in web parts.
Additional reading
Changelog
Changelog (1 version)
| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sev Derghazarian | First version. Facts checked against Microsoft Learn on 2026-10-15. |