Architecting Accessibility at Enterprise Scale
How I orchestrated a unified accessibility strategy across 50+ teams at Walmart, connecting GenAI innovation with testing infrastructure to transform how 2,000+ engineers build inclusive experiences.
The Strategic Landscape
When I joined Walmart, I discovered not a lack of resources, but a lack of connection.
Walmart had incredible assets—a world-class GenAI team, robust testing tools, and talented engineers. But these capabilities operated in silos. Fifteen teams worked on accessibility independently. The GenAI team's Wal-E model had untapped potential for accessibility automation. Testing happened manually despite available automation tools.
My insight: We didn't need more tools. We needed an architecture that connected existing capabilities into a unified system.
Key Discoveries:
- 15 teams working on accessibility in isolation
- GenAI capabilities that could revolutionize accessibility testing
- Manual processes that could be automated through integration
- No unified strategy across Walmart US, Canada, and Sam's Club
- Engineers wanting to build inclusively but lacking systematic support
The Architectural Design
Instead of building new tools, I designed connections between existing capabilities. This required thinking like a systems architect, not just an accessibility expert.
The Transformation
Before: Isolated Capabilities
After: Unified System
The Strategic Architecture:
Connected Axe DevTools results to Walmart's GenAI Wal-E model, enabling AI to learn from our accessibility patterns and suggest fixes with 73% accuracy.
Integrated accessibility testing into CI/CD through strategic partnerships with the Platform team, catching issues before code review.
Bridged Jira, Confluence, and Axe Monitor to create seamless workflows where engineers received contextual help exactly when needed.
Designed executive dashboards that transformed accessibility from invisible technical debt to visible business KPI.
The key: Each connection multiplied the value of existing tools without requiring new infrastructure.
"I realized we didn't need more tools or more people. We needed an architecture that connected existing capabilities into a unified system."
Orchestrating Cross-Team Innovation
The breakthrough came from connecting teams that had never collaborated:
GenAI Team Partnership
- Challenge: Their Wal-E model had no accessibility training
- My Role: Facilitated knowledge transfer between accessibility and AI teams
- Result: First retail GenAI system that could analyze and suggest accessibility fixes
Platform Engineering Collaboration
- Challenge: CI/CD pipeline had no accessibility gates
- My Role: Designed integration architecture for automated testing
- Result: 40% increase in automated coverage without slowing deployments
Design Systems Alliance
- Challenge: Component library lacked accessibility patterns
- My Role: Created governance model for accessibility-first components
- Result: 80% of accessibility issues prevented at design phase
Executive Alignment
- Challenge: Leadership lacked visibility into accessibility ROI
- My Role: Built business case connecting accessibility to $2B market opportunity
- Result: Accessibility became quarterly KPI with dedicated budget
This wasn't about writing code—it was about architecting connections that made 1+1=10.
Scaling Through Systems, Not Mandates
Traditional approach: Hire more accessibility experts. My approach: Enable every engineer to be accessibility-capable through systematic support.
The Enablement Architecture:
Self-Service Infrastructure
- Built documentation system where answers were always 1 click away
- Created component library with accessibility built-in by default
- Designed automated tools that made accessible code easier to write than inaccessible code
Distributed Ownership Model
- Trained 50 accessibility champions embedded in feature teams
- Created peer review system where teams learned from each other
- Built incentive structures that rewarded inclusive design
Viral Adoption Strategy
- Started with 3 volunteer teams who became evangelists
- Their success attracted 10 more teams within a month
- Reached 50+ teams in 6 months through organic growth
- 87% voluntary adoption without mandates
The result: Accessibility expertise scaled from 1 person (me) to 2,000+ engineers in 12 months.
Impact at Scale
Transformation Results
System Architecture Results
- ✓ Connected 15 independent teams into unified platform
- ✓ Reduced duplicate effort by 60% through systematic coordination
- ✓ Scaled from 3 to 50+ teams in 6 months
- ✓ Achieved 40% automation without new tool purchases
Business Transformation
- ✓ Converted $50M legal risk into $2B market opportunity
- ✓ Saved $2M+ through systematic prevention vs. reactive fixes
- ✓ Improved customer satisfaction scores by 23 points
- ✓ Enabled features affecting $50B+ annual transactions
Cultural Evolution
- ✓ 2,000+ engineers enabled through platform architecture
- ✓ 87% voluntary adoption without mandates
- ✓ From 6-month accessibility cycles to continuous integration
- ✓ From specialist bottleneck to distributed ownership
The Architect's Principles
What I've learned about driving enterprise transformation through systems thinking:
Connection > Creation
The most powerful solutions don't require building new tools—they require connecting existing capabilities in novel ways. At Walmart, I discovered 15 teams with pieces of the solution. My role was to architect the connections that made them greater than their sum.
Coalition > Command
True scale comes from building coalitions, not issuing commands. By bringing together GenAI, Platform, and Design teams who had never collaborated, we created momentum that no mandate could achieve. 87% voluntary adoption proved this principle.
System > Solution
Individual solutions create dependencies. Systems create capabilities. Instead of building an accessibility tool, I architected a system where accessible code became easier to write than inaccessible code. The system scaled itself.
Enablement > Enforcement
Enforcement creates compliance. Enablement creates culture. By giving engineers the tools to succeed rather than rules to follow, we transformed accessibility from a checkbox to a capability. 2,000+ engineers became accessibility advocates, not just compliant.
The strategic mindset: I don't fix accessibility issues—I architect systems where accessibility issues can't exist.
Ready to Architect Your Accessibility Transformation
Every enterprise faces the same challenge: How do you scale accessibility across thousands of engineers and millions of users? The answer isn't more specialists or better tools—it's strategic architecture that connects existing capabilities into unified systems.
I bring:
- Systems thinking that sees connections others miss
- Coalition building across engineering, design, and leadership
- Strategic architecture that scales without rebuilding
- Proven ability to transform culture through enablement, not enforcement
If you're looking for someone who can architect sustainable accessibility transformation—not just fix current issues—let's connect.
Let's Build More Inclusive Platforms Together
I'm passionate about ensuring technology connects everyone, regardless of ability. If your organization is looking for someone who can drive accessibility innovation at massive scale while building cultures of inclusion, let's connect.