Achieving Compliance

Digital Accessibility Matters

As websites and mobile applications serve as primary gateways to essential services from banking to healthcare, they must be inclusive in the digital world. Digital accessibility compliance ensures equal access for users with disabilities, addressing both fundamental rights and practical needs.

Legal frameworks worldwide mandate accessibility, while ethical considerations demand it. Commercially, organisations benefit from expanded reach and improved user experiences.

True digital inclusion requires proactive design, ongoing compliance monitoring, and commitment to universal access principles. Organisations that embrace accessibility gain competitive advantage while fulfilling their social responsibility in an increasingly digital world

Understanding Compliance Standards

Digital accessibility compliance refers to the practice of designing and maintaining digital content in accordance with established accessibility standards, primarily the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), these guidelines provide a universal framework for creating accessible online experiences.

The WCAG standards are organised into three tiers of compliance. Level A (basic accessibility), Level AA (standard requirements adopted by most legislation), and Level AAA (enhanced accessibility).

To meet these standards, digital content must incorporate key accessibility features such as keyboard operability for users who cannot use a mouse, descriptive alternative text for images to assist screen reader users, captions and transcripts for multimedia content, and sufficient colour contrast ratios for individuals with visual disabilities.

Various jurisdictions have implemented these standards through legal frameworks including the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States, the Equality Act 2010 in the United Kingdom, and the European Union's Web Accessibility Directive. Compliance with these regulations helps organisations mitigate legal risks while improving the overall user experience for all visitors.

By adhering to these accessibility standards, businesses and organisations demonstrate their commitment to creating an inclusive digital environment that serves all users equitably. This approach aligns with both ethical business practices and legal requirements in an increasingly digital world.

Challenges on the Path to Compliance

Challenges on the Path to Compliance

While established frameworks provide clear guidelines, organisations frequently face obstacles in achieving digital accessibility compliance. A primary challenge stems from insufficient awareness and technical expertise among development teams, often coupled with inadequate leadership support and budget constraints.

Many companies approach accessibility reactively, implementing changes only after encountering legal repercussions, rather than embedding inclusive design principles throughout the development process. This reactive stance proves both costly and inefficient.

In contrast, proactive integration of accessibility standards from the initial design phase through deployment yields sustainable compliance while delivering long-term operational benefits. Organisations that prioritise accessibility early create more inclusive digital experiences while avoiding the higher costs and disruptions of retroactive remediation.

The path to meaningful compliance requires organisational commitment, proper resource allocation, and a shift from treating accessibility as an afterthought to making it a fundamental design principle.

Building Digital Accessibility Compliance

The 2017 lawsuit against Five Guys Enterprises established a critical precedent for digital accessibility, demonstrating that legal obligations extend beyond physical spaces to digital platforms. When a blind customer could not access the restaurant's website via screen reader, the court rejected Five Guys' defence regarding unclear ADA website regulations, affirming that businesses must proactively ensure digital accessibility.

When executives champion accessibility, it transforms from a compliance checkbox to an organisational priority, securing necessary resources and driving cultural change. Leadership commitment fosters innovation while demonstrating authentic dedication to inclusion a competitive advantage in today's socially conscious market.

With leadership support established, comprehensive accessibility audits form the foundation of any compliance strategy. These evaluations must assess all digital touchpoints websites, apps, internal systems, and documents. While automated tools efficiently flag technical violations like missing alt text, manual testing reveals nuanced usability barriers. Involving people with disabilities in testing provides irreplaceable insights, exposing real-world challenges that simulations miss.

The Five Guys case proves reactive approaches carry legal and reputational risks, whereas proactive compliance delivers business value. Organisations that integrate accessibility from the start through leadership commitment, thorough audits, and inclusive testing create better user experiences while future proofing against evolving regulations.

Today, accessibility is a strategic imperative that drives innovation, expands market reach, and demonstrates corporate responsibility. Companies embracing this mindset will lead in both inclusion and business performance.

Training and Resolving

Once accessibility gaps are identified, organisations must implement targeted corrections like updating code, refining designs, and restructuring content. While external experts can assist, developing internal expertise through comprehensive training for developers, designers, and content teams ensures lasting compliance.

The BBC exemplifies this approach through its dedicated Accessibility Team, which established globally recognised guidelines and integrated accessibility into every development phase, setting an industry benchmark for digitally inclusive design.

Equally critical is enforcing accessibility in procurement. Organisations must mandate compliance from third-party vendors, requiring VPATs and contractual accessibility clauses for all digital products. This end-to-end commitment from training and resolving, creates a sustainable culture of accessibility that goes beyond basic compliance to deliver truly inclusive digital experiences.

Digital Accessibility Through Continuous Improvement

As companies evolve their digital platforms through regular updates and new feature releases, they must commit accessibility practices by embedding automated testing within development pipelines.

A prime example of this approach can be seen in LinkedIn's comprehensive Accessibility Initiative, which successfully integrated accessibility checks throughout product development cycles, designated team champions, and established partnerships with advocacy organisations to maintain inclusivity across emerging features like live video functionality.

Thoughtfully implemented accessible design naturally enhances usability for all customers while simultaneously expanding market reach to encompass the disability community's significant spending power.

The technical requirements of accessibility standards often align with and improve search engine optimisation performance, creating additional visibility benefits. Organisations that embrace accessibility as a core value rather than a compliance obligation strengthen their brand reputation as inclusive industry leaders while future-proofing their digital assets against evolving standards.

Forward-looking companies now recognise accessibility as both an ethical responsibility and a source of competitive differentiation. By incorporating inclusive design principles into organisational culture and standard operating procedures, businesses create superior digital experiences that demonstrate measurable return on investment.

Digitally Inclusivity with Nexus Inclusion

Digitally Inclusivity with Nexus Inclusion

By choosing Nexus Inclusion for your organisation, you will gain more than just compliance. We invest in a future where technology serves everyone equally. Our expertise helps businesses not only meet legal requirements but also demonstrates authentic commitment to inclusive innovation.

With Nexus Inclusion, digital accessibility becomes a powerful differentiator, one that mitigates risk while elevating brand purpose and human dignity in the digital landscape.

We can build digital experiences that don't just comply but truly include creating lasting value for both businesses and the communities they serve.