Why Digital Accessibility Is No Longer Optional for Websites
In today’s digital age, your website is often the first point of contact between your business and prospective clients. Yet many websites still exclude a significant portion of the population - people with disabilities -simply because accessibility hasn’t been considered. Inclusive design isn’t just a “nice to have” anymore: for many businesses, it’s become a legal requirement, a strategic advantage, and a moral imperative.
At Akshari Solutions, we believe an accessible website is not only good design - it’s smart business. If you’re ready to ensure your site works for everyone, we can help you navigate ADA compliance, inclusive user‐experience (UX), and accessible design that boosts both usability and reach.
What is Digital Accessibility?
Digital accessibility means designing and developing your website (and digital assets) so people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your content effectively. That includes users who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions for videos, color‐contrast adjustments and more.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidance, inaccessible web content “means that people with disabilities are denied equal access to information.” And globally, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have become the de facto standard for what accessibility looks like.
Why Accessibility Is No Longer Optional?
1. Legal Risk and Compliance
Even though the ADA was enacted in 1990 - before the internet became central to business - courts and regulatory agencies now interpret that websites constitute a “public accommodation” under Title III of the ADA, meaning private businesses open to the public must provide digital assets in an accessible way.
In other words: if your business website excludes or creates barriers for users with disabilities, you could face lawsuits, regulatory actions, and reputational damage. One accessibility legal review explicitly warns: “Thousands of private companies that operate inaccessible websites are sued under Title III each year.”
2. Business Opportunity & Market Reach
By ignoring accessibility, you’re not just risking lawsuits - you’re turning away customers. In the U.S., an estimated 1 in 4 adults lives with a disability. That’s a sizable market segment. Moreover, accessibility features (like alt text, captions, keyboard navigation) often help overall usability and search‑engine optimization (SEO). For instance:
Better alt text and structured headings = improved search engine crawlability.
Cleaner, more inclusive design means lower bounce rates and higher conversions.
3. Brand Reputation & Social Responsibility
Customers increasingly expect businesses to stand for more than just profit. A company that offers an inclusive experience demonstrates empathy, reliability, and future‑forward thinking. Accessible web design isn’t only for people with disabilities - good accessibility often improves usability for all users (older users, mobile users, etc.).
4. Future‑Proofing Your Digital Assets
Accessibility isn’t a one‑time fix. The guidelines evolve (for example, WCAG 2.2 and beyond), browsers change, assistive technologies evolve. If your website is rebuilt, redesigned or content is added without accessibility in mind, you’ll be playing catch‑up - and potentially exposing yourself to risk.
What Inclusive Design Looks Like in Practice?
Here are some practical design & development considerations for making your website truly accessible:
Alt‐text for images: Every meaningful image should have descriptive alt text so that screen‑readers can convey the content.
Keyboard navigation: Users who cannot use a mouse must be able to navigate the site using the keyboard alone (tabbing through links, focus indicators, etc.)
Color contrast: Make sure text and background contrast meets thresholds so users with low vision or colour‐blindness can read it.
Captions & transcripts for audio/video: Users who are deaf or hard of hearing must have access to equivalent content.
Semantic markup & headings: Use proper HTML markup so assistive technologies can parse the content in the correct order and structure.
Accessible forms: Labels, error feedback, clear instructions, and logical tab order are vital.
Continuous monitoring & testing: Accessibility isn’t a checkbox. Regular audits - using automated tools and testing by people with disabilities - are key.
How Akshari Solutions Can Help?
At Akshari Solutions, we specialise in making websites not only visually compelling but inclusive, accessible, and legally prepared. Our services include:
Accessibility audits: We examine your website for current accessibility gaps.
Remediation & development: We implement fixes - from code to design to content - to meet accessibility standards.
Governance & continuous monitoring: We help you stay ahead of updates, maintain compliance, and build accessibility into your digital workflow.
Training & awareness: We empower your team to think inclusively in every digital channel.
If you’d like to explore how we can transform your website into an inclusive, accessible platform, please visit Akshari Solutions to learn more or get in touch.
Conclusion
Digital accessibility is no longer optional. It’s a strategic business imperative, a legal safeguard, and a statement of your brand’s values. A website that works for everyone is a website that reaches more people, performs better, and aligns with today’s inclusive expectations.
Don’t wait until you receive a demand letter or discover you’re excluding a large portion of potential customers. Start the journey toward an accessible website now - and let Akshari Solutions guide you every step of the way.
