What is web accessibility — and why does it matter to you?
A plain-language guide for organizations that know they should care about accessibility, but aren't sure what it really means or where to start.
The basics
What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility means building websites and digital tools so that everyone can use them — including people with disabilities.
Roughly one in four adults has a disability. Many rely on assistive technology to use the web: screen readers that read pages aloud for people who are blind, keyboard navigation for people who can't use a mouse, captions for people who are deaf, and more. When a website isn't built with these users in mind, it can be difficult — or completely impossible — for them to read content, complete a form, or get help.
An accessible website works for all of these people. It's not about adding a special "accessible version" — it's about building the one site correctly so it works with the tools people already use.
A quick example. Imagine an online form where the fields aren't properly labeled in the code. A sighted user sees "Email" next to a box and knows what to type. A blind user's screen reader just says "edit text, blank" — with no way to know what the field is for. That's an accessibility barrier, and it's exactly the kind of issue an audit finds and fixes.
The terminology
WCAG, ADA, Section 508, Section 504 — what they mean
These terms come up constantly. Here's what each one actually is, in plain terms.
WCAG
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — the international rulebook for what makes digital content accessible. Most laws point to WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard to meet. It's the technical benchmark all audits measure against.
ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act. Courts increasingly treat websites as "places of public accommodation" that must be accessible — which is why inaccessible sites lead to lawsuits and demand letters.
Section 508 Title II
A federal law requiring that technology used by government agencies (and often their vendors and grantees) be accessible regardless of whether these entities receive Federal financial assistance.
Section 504 Title III
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodation. Accessible ICT is often part of meeting Section 504 obligations for accessible public services.
Why it matters to you
Three reasons this belongs on your radar
Legal risk
Accessibility lawsuits and demand letters have risen sharply. Defending one — or settling — routinely costs far more than fixing your site would have. For public institutions, a complaint can also trigger investigations and funding consequences.
The right thing to do
Your community includes people with disabilities. An accessible site means a patient can book an appointment, a resident can access a service, a student can enroll — independently and with dignity. For public-serving institutions, that's core to the mission.
Business value
Accessible sites reach more people, rank better in search, work better on mobile, and are simply better built. The same practices that help disabled users improve the experience for everyone — and protect your reputation.
The good news: accessibility is fixable. Most issues fall into a handful of common categories, and once your team learns to spot them, staying compliant becomes routine. The first step is simply understanding where your site stands today — which is exactly what an audit tells you.
There's no shortcuts to compliance
Accessibility Misconceptions
Overlay frameworks
Overlay frameworks for accessbility look like an easy fix but in reality, they interfere more with assistive technology and do not protect you from lawsuits.
Handicapped people are a small demographic
Up to 70 million people in the United States have a disability that is covered under the Americans with Disability Act. They are people that have a real need for the ability to properly access online resources, information and e-commerce.
Website scanning tools are good enough
Website scanning tools are a good resource to use for detecting compliance issues but generally only catch less than 50% of the potential accessibility errors on a website.
The best strategy: A professionally trained auditor will help fix any problems you currently have. Then, a properly trained team can implement accessibility principles into the design process saving the company/institution time, drastically improving public engagement and usage, increasing sales and protecting from tens of thousands of dollars in lawsuits and fees.