Web accessibility is the inclusive practice of ensuring there are no barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to, websites on the World Wide Web by people with disabilities.
The technical standard used is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), level AA. There are three main areas:
- Ensuring people can receive information from a website, through sight or sound or text.
- Ensuring people can physically operate a website, including checking that users have sufficient time, and navigability.
- Ensuring people can understand the information presented by a website, including consistency and help with errors.
Why is web accessibility important?
For most businesses, the biggest issue is legal compliance.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 2008, which mandates that both the physical world and the internet should be made accessible to people with disabilities.
However, it’s not the government that enforces accessibility. That role often falls to private individuals and specialized law firms.
Over the past few years, suing companies over web accessibility has become increasingly common.
According to Usablenet’s 2025 year-end digital accessibility lawsuit report:
- Over 5000 court cases were filed in state and federal courts
- 1,427 ADA digital accessibility lawsuits targeted companies that had already been sued
- Over 1,200 cases were filed against companies with accessibility widgets
These numbers will likely continue to rise as governments and people alike become more aware of web accessibility as an issue.
However, legal risk is not the only reason to pay attention to web accessibility.
In the United States, according to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 adults have a disability of some kind.
Making your website accessible increases market reach and improves your brand’s reputation.
Furthermore, even people without disabilities can benefit from compliance with WCAG, through increased usability and customer satisfaction.
How do I make my website accessible?
By conducting an accessibility audit. An accessibility audit is professional testing of a website against WCAG criteria to identify errors.
This includes:
- A review of all pages or a selection of pages
- Keyboard navigation testing
- Screen reader testing
- Evaluation of forms and interactive elements
- Color contrast and visual accessibility checks
- Documentation with recommendations for fixes
When should I get an accessibility audit?
Anyone with a website where they conduct business should get an initial accessibility audit. If any compliance gaps are found, a follow-up audit should be conducted to ensure compliance has been met after applying fixes.
Anytime major updates are made to a website, another accessibility audit should be done. It’s important to make sure any new code or features are compliant.
Ideally, accessibility audits should also be conducted annually. Even if a business’s website was not changed, browsers like Chrome and Edge, as well as operating systems (OS) like Windows, and even further, assistive technology like the screen reader NVDA, are all updated constantly. Ensuring compliance is an ongoing effort.
By getting an accessibility audit, businesses will be able to protect themselves from legal risk while also providing better service to more people.