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Presented by AudioEye
Every minute of the day, the internet grows more extensive and complex. Despite that increased digital footprint, most websites still provide inaccessible experiences.
Consider this: A new website is created every three seconds. Yet according to the 2024 WebAIM report, only 4% of those web pages created will be accessible to the 1.3 billion people globally who live with a disability.
With the rapid speed of digital growth we are experiencing, trying to fix the internet’s digital accessibility can feel like the entire industry is stuck running on a never-ending treadmill. No matter how much faster we run or harder we try, our progress is limited. As an industry, we must think differently about creating accessible digital experiences.
Where do we start? Conversations about the best path to improvement are often steeped in “or” — should we take approach A or B?
The solution to getting us off the never-ending treadmill is the “and” — taking multiple complementary approaches that meet businesses where they are. By offering a combined approach of automation, managed services and developer tools, sites are more accessible, costs are lower and the website’s digital accessibility issues can be fixed on an ongoing and continual basis rather than needing to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Let’s compare a traditional, fix-at-source approach with a more comprehensive one to see how we can begin to make significant progress in digital accessibility.
The fix-at-source dilemma
One of the biggest challenges with digital accessibility is scale. Websites change quickly and frequently, from complete site rehauls to components as simple as an image swap-out or the addition of a pop-up banner.
The fix-at-source approach has long been the go-to strategy for addressing accessibility concerns. It aims to rectify issues at the code level, hoping to eliminate barriers preemptively before they manifest on live platforms. While this approach has benefits, it is also often costly, slow and inefficient.
In a perfect world, accessibility issues are identified, passed back to a developer, and updated immediately. However, accessibility fixes can often be deprioritized and take weeks or months to implement. With delays in identifying code-level solutions and promptly making those updates, the fix-at-source approach turns maintaining digitally accessible sites into a never-ending exercise of futility — like running in place on a treadmill.
In the end, addressing accessibility strictly at the code level is not a feasible approach for most organizations wanting to create and maintain digitally accessible sites. Moreover, most companies just don’t have the time, resources or budget that an approach like this demands.
This is not to say companies should not use technology that enables their developers to fix at source. We recently launched our own developer tools to catch as many accessibility issues as possible before hitting live environments. Over the years, we’ve found that this is a significant first step but not a catch-all.
Tackling accessibility with human-assisted technology
I firmly believe the only way to solve website accessibility at scale, and in a financially feasible way, is through a three-pronged approach involving AI, expert testing with members of the disability community and developer tools.
1. Leverage AI-driven technology. You can catch many errors in the development process, but issues will inevitably slip through. Incorporating AI-driven technology into your website allows you to swiftly detect and rectify these issues in real-time as users interact with site content. With auto-remediation in place, companies can identify and fix more issues and barriers that would keep customers or prospects from making purchases, booking travel, signing up for an account, etc.
2. Use human experts to test what technology can’t. While technological advancements have significantly improved real-time testing, certain issues are contextual and require human intervention. Utilizing members of the disability community to conduct expert testing provides invaluable insights and helps identify accessibility challenges that AI may overlook. By integrating human expertise with cutting-edge technology, you can ensure a more comprehensive evaluation of your website’s accessibility and foster a more inclusive digital environment.
3. Test during the SDLC process. Incorporating accessibility testing tools into every stage of the development cycle is a crucial step for proactively addressing accessibility issues early on, which minimizes the need for costly retroactive fixes. It also ensures that accessibility considerations are integrated seamlessly into the design and development process, which not only promotes accessibility compliance but also fosters a culture of inclusivity within your development team.
Circling back to costs, speed and efficiency
This three-pronged approach costs roughly 70-90% less than focusing solely on a fix-at-source approach, which can result in potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings annually, with accessibility issues caught at each stage of development.
We operate in a time when developers and those in charge of keeping websites up and running wear many hats and are often considered our go-to source of knowledge for fixing issues ranging from code functionality and user experience to privacy and cybersecurity.
There’s a misconception that these individuals and organizations have to go on their accessibility journeys alone and be experts in all things accessibility right away. It’s okay that they’re not. That’s why this human-assisted technology approach exists. It empowers engineers to focus where they are experts and lets accessibility experts handle the rest.
The goal: Advancing digital accessibility for all
I’ve often said that accessibility is a journey, not a destination. As we work to eradicate every barrier to digital access, and as the Internet continues to expand and evolve, companies that take a holistic approach will find they are moving more quickly and closely to the desired destination. It’s time to jump off the treadmill and start making real progress toward a world where people with disabilities can use the Internet without limitations or barriers.
David Moradi is the CEO of AudioEye.
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