As regulatory pressure around digital accessibility ratchets up worldwide, businesses need a plan for making their websites and apps truly usable for people with disabilities. From the European Accessibility Act to the ADA and the U.S. Department of Justice’s moves to regulate digital accessibility, compliance is a major concern, no matter where you do business.
Why do companies struggle with meeting compliance requirements around web accessibility? It’s not just about the budget strain, like retrofitting outdated code or training developers to code accessibly. It also requires a blend of technical know-how with continuous auditing of ever-changing content to keep it compliant. Plus, doing accessibility right requires in-depth and up to date legal and technical expertise.
Spoiler alert – technology can bridge the digital disability divide, and help make digital interfaces more human-centric, faster, while easing the regulatory burden for companies.
We caught up with Allon Mason, CEO of UserWay, the world-leading digital accessibility solution, to gain critical insights on web accessibility, the legal landscape, and to understand what businesses stand to gain with digital inclusion.
You built a viral accessibility tool. How did that happen?
When I was running a startup that had become the leading national marketplace for freelance talent, regulations started coming out on accessibility. I looked for a digital accessibility solution and that search led me to realize there was none that was effective, fast to implement and cost efficient. So I created the first accessibility widget, an innovative tool that focused on website accessibility improvements for people with low vision. Some of the first features were the ability to make fonts bigger, change color contrast and many more. We made the free widget available to anyone who wanted it, and it went viral – now it’s on millions of sites.
Today, our pro solution automates identifying and fixing common usability barriers on websites. Using AI, we now make it so much easier for teams to prioritize accessibility, to build more compliant websites.
UserWay went public in 2022 and today we are a large team that includes accessibility developers, designers, digital accessibility professionals, and a legal team, a number of whom have lived experience with disabilities.
Why is web accessibility now a must-have for every website, and why is it so tricky to get right?
Web accessibility is about equal access. The best practices make sure websites, apps and other digital assets are designed in a way that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use them on their PCs or via their assistive tech tools. But today, accessibility is still too often an afterthought, if a thought at all.
Most websites were never built with accessibility in mind, which is why they’re riddled with usability failures and compliance violations. Even one inaccessible element in a form or navigation can completely kill the user experience. And even sites that prioritize accessibility often have areas that fall short.
1.3 billion people in the world live with a disability. Whether it’s a visible, invisible, or situational disability, we’re talking about a massive market segment that may be facing barriers to accessing your site. So if you missed the memo on web accessibility, it’s time to get it on your radar.
What has changed to bring more attention to web accessibility? And are businesses already late to the game?
Countries around the world increasingly enforce civil rights laws that emphasize digital accessibility. These laws are putting businesses under the microscope, especially those with barriers on their websites.
The pace at which content is created and published can actually widen the digital divide if accessibility is not prioritized. When web accessibility is overlooked, businesses risk falling behind.
Today, we stand at a pivotal juncture. Europe is enforcing the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which introduces stringent regulations and steep penalties for businesses with accessibility violations in their digital assets, including websites, apps, documents, e-commerce platforms, checkout processes etc. It’s another GDPR moment, but this time it’s about digital accessibility. And every company should expect to be under scrutiny.
Can you shed light on which accessibility laws and standards businesses should be familiar with?
Aside from the European Accessibility Act (EAA), accessibility laws and standards make for a dynamic landscape. Andt it isn’t a one-size-fits-all.
If you’re running a business in the U.S. for example, you need to comply with the ADA, making sure your physical and digital spaces are accessible for people with disabilities. If your business provides technology services or products to the federal government, you need to comply with both Section 508 and the ADA.
For businesses with a worldwide footprint, keep in mind that the playbook for web accessibility changes from one country to the next, so you’ll want to stay on top of the rules wherever you do business.
How do you differentiate between web accessibility ‘laws’ and ‘standards’?
Great question. Laws are legal requirements set by governments. They’re the rules of the road, so to speak. Failing to adhere to them is risky business and can be an open invitation to lawsuits, steep fines, and demand letters.
Standards, on the other hand, are like the best practices in web accessibility – highly recommended guidelines that, while not mandated by law, set the benchmark for great user experiences.
The gold standard of web accessibility is the WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These are a universally recognized set of wide-ranging recommendations to make web content more accessible to all users.
Other universally applicable standards include ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) and the PDF/UA (PDF Universal Accessibility). They’re widely recognized best practices for ensuring dynamic content and PDFs are accessible, especially to people using assistive technologies.
So, while laws are the must-do’s of web accessibility, standards are the should-do’s – and all are important in their own right.
For businesses new to web accessibility, where is a good starting point?
When companies look to implement WCAG and ADA guidance regarding website accessibility, they need to recognize that accessibility is not always a one-time task you can simply check off. It’s a continuous effort and a journey that’s different for every company.
The first thing to look at is how automation can facilitate better usability on your site, and kick off your compliance efforts. Today, it’s easy to integrate tools like the UserWay AI-Powered Accessibility Widget, which works behind-the-scenes to find and fix scores of violations in website code.
You could think of the Widget as a personal accessibility assistant on your site, making instant accommodations for common disability profiles, whether it’s addressing vision impairments or making online experiences smoother for people with ADHD or Dyslexia.
What’s one of the more surprising hurdles businesses face in their web accessibility journey?
Think about how often you create documents for work. But many businesses tend to neglect the accessibility of common files such as spreadsheets and PDF presentations, despite them being subject to the same compliance levels as websites.
Common issues include missing alt text for images, poor color contrast, and unstructured content which renders them unusable for screen reader users. Essentially, an inaccessible document ends up being discriminatory.
An accessible document, on the other hand, is structured logically. Think spreadsheets everyone can count on, PDF accessibility where your presentation slides speak to all users, and documents that meet accessibility standards to improve the reading experience for any audience.
Today’s automation tools, like UserWay’s, have made it easier and more cost-effective to create accessible documents in formats like PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
How can companies support their developers who might not be well-versed in web accessibility?
Scanning and monitoring tools automate away a large portion of the manual work that used to be required to identify inaccessible elements. Tools like UserWay’s Accessibility Checker will pinpoint where violations affect your users, and remediate most of them with automation. This initial assessment is the foundation for a more inclusive digital strategy.
But web accessibility goes beyond this first step. We also developed a free gen AI tool called FixMyCode.ai, which is a generative AI-powered coding buddy that can transform inaccessible code, and shows developers how those fixes were made. It’s a source of education, too.
Can improved accessibility have positive effects on website performance?
Accessibility and performance go hand-in-hand. Embracing accessibility can lift a website’s performance in many ways.
- SEO Enhancement: Accessible sites resonate with search engines.
- Increased Conversions: A user-friendly site translates to better engagement.
- Broadened Audience: Reach the 1.3 billion individuals with disabilities.
- Positive Brand Image: Inclusivity is a modern brand must-have.
It’s one thing to talk about potential improvements, but what does this look like in practice? Take the leading tech company, Natural Intelligence, as a case in point. Their decision to integrate UserWay’s AI-Powered Accessibility Solution has yielded measurable performance improvements such as:
- Click Rates: +1.0%
- Bounce Rates: -0.5%
- Earnings per Click: +2.4%
- Earnings per Visitor: +3.5%
Any final tips for website owners working on improving web accessibility?
There is no static destination with web accessibility. It is a journey. Especially as technologies and accessibility laws evolve. It’s also a team effort. From your web designers, developers, content creators and marketers, everyone needs to be on board!
Top 3 steps to win at web accessibility
Step 1: Connect with UserWay for a demo or a free trial.
Step 2: Run your site through UserWay’s Free Accessibility Checker, giving you those much needed periodic accessibility check ups to guarantee your site’s accessibility.
Step 3: Conduct regular check-ins and accessibility audits that catch any error that might crop up as you add, amend or update content.
It’s time to switch on accessibility and make it your default setting. In other words, you can’t afford to let web accessibility remain your business’ footnote; it needs to be your headline.
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