Accessibility has standards.
It has tools.
It has testing methodologies, training programs, and compliance requirements.
And yet, many organizations still struggle to make accessibility sustainable.
Why?
Because accessibility isn't only a technical challenge.
It's an organizational one.
Today, I'm introducing the ACLT Institute — an emerging research and resource institute focused on the role that leadership, governance, culture, and organizational practice play in advancing accessibility.
The Institute is grounded in Accessibility Culture Leadership Theory (ACLT), developed through my doctoral research and my experience working within accessibility programs.
ACLT asks us to look beyond whether an organization does accessibility and examine something deeper:
What makes accessibility become part of how an organization operates?
The ACLT Institute will develop research-informed frameworks, resources, assessment approaches, and practical tools that organizations can use to examine their accessibility culture and strengthen their own approach.
This isn't about replacing WCAG, technical expertise, testing, or compliance.
It's about addressing the organizational environment in which all of those things either take root—or don't.
There's much more to come.
ACLT Institute
Advancing Accessibility. Shaping Culture.