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Accessibility · Organizational Transformation
Building Accessibility at Scale in a Complex Media Organization
My Role
Project Lead and Digital Accessibility Manager - Coordinating cross-functional implementation,
structuring internal/external audits, and translating regulatory requirements into actionable product steps
Team
Andrea Butsch, Partnerschaft Stolz + Butsch, Consultation
Timeline & Status
September 2024 - February 2026 / Ongoing in the Teams
Project in numbers
15+
Teams aligned across product, design, engineering, data privacy, and loyalty.
20+
Digital products coordinated across media brands, including BILD and WELT.
Multiple
Awareness events and training sessions, including StepStone Conference and the internal Schwerbehinderten-Kongress.
Multiple
Internal and external audits initiated, including certified audits by Adesso, to assess WCAG 2.2 AA compliance.
3
Major brand commitments secured from leadership and product teams at BILD, WELT, and Business Insider.
Context
Managing digital accessibility across major media brands like BILD and WELT, spanning high-traffic web apps, native mobile experiences, subscription checkouts, and content infrastructure
Challenge
Regulatory compliance deadlines under the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG), fragmented legacy processes, and unclear cross-brand ownership across more than 20 digital products made large-scale accessibility difficult to coordinate. Real-world audits revealed critical user roadblocks, such as newsletter overlays inaccessible to screen readers, missing audio feedback upon subscription, and insufficient color contrast ratios (failing AA standards at 2.53:1).
Approach
Combined systematic WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549 audits with centralized frameworks, cross-functional stakeholder enablement, and structured work packages (AP1–AP4) to embed accessibility directly into product workflows.
What We Built
Compliance Frameworks: Established structured WCAG 2.2 Level AA and EN 301 549 auditing workflows across BILD and WELT digital products.
Design & Dev Toolchains: Integrated practical tooling (Accessibility Insights, Stark, WAVE) to catch contrast failures, missing ARIA labels, and keyboard traps early in the workflow.
Cross-Brand Work Packages (AP1–AP4): Delivered tailored compliance strategies for subscription checkouts, CMP layers, newsletters, competitions, marketplaces, and digital shops.
Enablement & Documentation: Created centralized Wiki knowledge bases, customer service support FAQs, and legally required accessibility statements (Erklärungen zur Barrierefreiheit).
Scalable Competence Center: Designed the organizational architecture for the permanent Accessibility Competence Center (ACC), including an internal champion network and alignment frameworks.
Key Learning
"Accessibility is not a project, it's a process. Real impact comes from embedding accessibility into the product DNA from day one—transforming compliance into a shared standard rather than an afterthought."
Say hello.
Want to talk about design, accessibility, or working together? I’d be happy to hear from you.