Digital accessibility: Building an Internet for all should become a business imperative


By Dr. Tim Sandle
January 4, 2025
DIGITAL JOURNAL

A bill making its way through the California state legislature would mandate that internet giants pay news agencies monthly 'journalism usage fees' based on viewing of stories via their platforms. — © AFP SEBASTIEN BOZON

An unwelcomed business trend in the U.S. during 2024 has been with the number of ADA lawsuits and increasing consumer demand for inclusivity. This has led some market commentators to remark that digital accessibility is no longer just good practice, it has transitioned into something that is now essential for business survival.

To capture this dynamic, the Contentsquare Foundation has released the 2024 Digital Accessibility Barometer,. This is described as a global benchmark for analysing the digital accessibility landscape across the 100 most-visited websites in six countries, including the U.S.

The report used the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) to assess levels of compliance across 17 accessibility criteria. This enabled the barometer to evaluate a total of the 100 of the most visited websites across six countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US. The websites audited spanned various sectors, including public services, banking, media, and eCommerce.

Only 7 percent of websites scored 9/10 or higher, with 71 percent of those high scorers came from public sector organizations. Among 100 websites audited, only one banking site and one eCommerce site achieved top scores.

In terms of particular weaknesses, 56 percent of websites audited lack accessibility statements, highlighting a significant gap in transparency and accountability in digital accessibility. Notably, websites with accessibility statements achieve higher average scores (6.9/10) compared to those without (6.0/10).

It is estimated there is $13 trillion in global disposable income tied to individuals with disabilities. As a consequence, inaccessible websites risk alienating a significant customer base, losing revenue, and facing increasing legal scrutiny.

The report highlights challenges and areas for U.S. businesses to focus on in developing strategies.

Accessibility statements drive improvement

U.S. websites with accessibility statements outperformed those without them, scoring an average of 6.9/10 compared to 6.0/10, proving the importance of transparency and accountability.

The public vs. private sector gap

While U.S. public sector websites score only 11% higher than private ones, Europe’s public sector outpaces private sector performance by 44%, underscoring a need for stronger private sector accountability in the U.S.

Ecommerce and media challenges

These industries lag globally, with scores of 5.4/10 and 5.8/10, highlighting significant risks in customer experience and revenue retention.

Recommendations to address these challenges, taken from the report, include:

Media and moving content: Ensure videos and animations include captions and transcripts and provide controls to pause or stop autoplay content to support users with disabilities or sensitivities.

Colour and text adaptability: Improve colour contrast for better readability and offer options to adjust text size, spacing, and contrast to support users with visual impairments.

Images: Add descriptive alt-text to images so that screen reader users can access important visual information.

Keyboard navigation: Ensure all interactive elements, such as menus and forms, are fully operable using a keyboard to accommodate users without mouse control.