Digital accessibility can feel like a long list of rules and checkboxes, I get it. But it’s not just about compliance. Accessibility reshapes how people move through your site or app. It clears the way for someone using a screen reader. It helps the mother or father use a website on a mobile phone whilst holding a baby. It can make life easier for all of us, and there are plenty of other business benefits!

Global Benefits

Reaching more people 📣

Roughly 1 in 6 adults lives with a disability (World Health Organization). That's a lot of people, approximately 1.3 billion! So making your website accessible opens up your audience to another 16% of the world's population! These improvement dont just benefit people using assistive technologies, everyone benefits from smoother UX, clearly useable UI, logical layout. These steps keep everyone moving forward instead of getting stuck.

Better search performance 🔎

You've probably had issues trying to fill out a form on your phone and missed a field because it was too fiddly or the color contrast was too low. Simple fixes, like higher contrast, larger input boxes and adequate spacing, can make a world of difference. Search engines reward semantic markup, clean headings and descriptive image text. It often drives higher rankings allowing users to find you faster, it lower bounce rates and increases session time. It’s not magic, just good structure.

Stronger brand reputation 💪

Showing you care about all users builds trust. When you share your accessibility journey, you signal sincerity. You tell your readers, I value your experience. That feeling grows over time. People notice. Customers take note. Prospective employees remember.

Increased innovation ✨

Tackling accessibility challenges often forces you to rethink assumptions. What if every video came with captions? What if voice commands controlled more of your interface? Well, much like how we benefit from real-life accessibility features, like automatic doors, wheelchair ramps or voice to text, those fixes can spark features you’d never planned. Like smart transcripts that double as search indexes, or simple layouts that speed up mobile performance. In other words, the work you do for accessibility often becomes a launchpad for broader improvements. You end up with a leaner, more flexible product that surprises even your core users.

Cost savings over time 💸

Fixing issues early costs far less than a big retro-fit later. I’ve seen teams scramble to retrofit focus states across dozens of pages. It hurts. So I try to weave checks into every sprint. It feels smoother and saves headaches down the road.

European Union Accessibility 🇪🇺

The EU Accessibility Act takes effect on June 28, 2025. It covers websites, mobile apps, ATMs and ticket machines. Public sector sites have met WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards since 2020. Now private businesses must follow suit. Procurement processes demand test reports and declarations of conformity. You can’t just post a statement and ignore the issues.

United States Accessibility 🇺🇸

In the US, Section 508 sets standards for federal agencies and aligns with WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Court rulings have extended ADA requirements to private websites and apps. Lawsuits top three thousand each year. Most teams aim for WCAG 2.1 Level AA or even 2.2 to stay clear of risk.

Getting Started 👌

I know diving into accessibility can feel overwhelming. Here's a quick guide:

1. Firstly, run an automated scan with tools like Axe or Lighthouse to catch the low-hanging issues.
2. Walk through key user's journey, slowly and with a critical eye.
3. Invite a couple of people who rely on assistive technology to spend an hour testing in real time.
4. Log each barrier and link it to the right WCAG success criterion.
5. Sort fixes by impact and effort and tackle quick wins first.
6. Keep team training sessions short and hands-on so everyone learns by doing.
7. Update vendor agreements to require proof of accessibility.
8. Keep a simple dashboard/kanban like Favro or Trello to track open issues and release dates.
9. Refresh public accessibility statements to show what you’ve fixed, what’s in progress and what comes next.

It makes accessibility feel like a journey you share, not a box to tick.

Accessibility may feel like extra work. But it pays off. You get fewer support calls. Higher engagement. Better search rankings. And the satisfaction of knowing you did not leave anyone behind. It might take a push at first, but the payoff is real. Your users, and your bottom line will thank you.