I am not sure if there is a definite answer to this but I thought I'll just throw it out....
I am working on re-designing a site for an federal organization who also require their site to be accessible as per 508 section guidelines. One of the recommendations that I got was that I should look at incorporating accessibility guidelines while designing the wireframes itself so that we dont run into issues later.
What I like to know is if there are any recommended guidelines on how to incorporate accessibility principles into wireframes ( I have read as much as I can on how to incorporate accessibility during the actual visual and html design phase) but I have drawn a blank with regards to what should be done for wireframe design and what should be the checkpoints.
I did find this interesting article which talks about some guidelines but they are pretty generic. To quote the article:
Intuitive Hierarchy: A web page with over 150 links will take a very long time to tab through, whether a user is listening to link names or reading them visually. This makes intuitive hierarchy all the more important. A good hierarchical structure will mean that fewer links are presented on each page of the site and that only relevant links are presented on the page at the next level down. As long as the links are meaningful and relevant, the hierarchy or structure will mean that overall, a user has fewer tab key presses to make, because fewer and more relevant links are made available.
Navigational aides: Users with visual impairments are often helped enormously by an A to Z index or a site map. These navigational aids present content in a long list that can be viewed easily with screen magnification or a large text size.
Use Meaningful links : By embedding links in the overview copy, content planners can support users' journeys towards key information. Embedded links are great because they enable readers to understand more about a page than an isolated navigation link in a menu. Embedded links can give users direct access to buried content, at a deeper level in the logical hierarchy.
I was wondering if anyone has come across specific guidelines in research or from their own experience.