The Business Case for Digital Accessibility
JENNIFER SANTIAGO, MARKETING MANAGER & JULIA WALTON, CONSULTING ANALYST
One billion people globally are living with a disability.
As a business operations and strategy consultant, More Canvas is often asked, “Why should my business care about accessibility?” The quick answer is to point back to those one billion individuals. Digital accessibility is no longer an option—no longer a nice-to-have feature. Without making it a priority in your organization, you are potentially excluding a seventh of the global population.
In recent years, we’ve seen a positive shift. More businesses are improving the accessibility of their digital presence, but it might not be apparent what benefits this will have on your organization.
Below, we break down the business case for addressing digital accessibility and why it will benefit your firm.
WIDENING YOUR MARKET REACH
The one billion individuals living with a disability represent $8 trillion in disposable income, according to Accenture.
Globally, one and a half billion people live with some level of hearing loss (though not all of those have reached disability-status yet). Further, 295 million people globally are living with moderate-to-severe visual visual impairment, with another 43 million living with full blindness (Orbis.org).
To maximize your company’s reach, it is vital to build (or update) your website to meet digital accessibility standards. Designing your site in a way that is accessible for those using a screen reader, for example, or that includes captions for important audio content, will largely increase the potential audience for your service or product, thus expanding your market reach.
DESIGN WITH ACCESSIBILITY IN MIND IS BETTER DESIGN
A website that meets accessibility standards does more than improve your market reach. Accessible sites generally offer a better experience for all site visitors. For example, a digitally accessible website encourages:
A rigorous header substructure, ensuring all users can easily understand website organization and content. This has the added benefit of improving your search engine optimization (SEO).
Well-labeled links and URLS that can be quickly located and accessed via tabbing.
Hyperlinks with underlined and colored formatting, known as “two ways of understanding” that this is a clickable piece of content. This approach makes links visually easier to locate for all website visitors.
Photo and video captions, which are helpful for the hearing impaired and those who can hear (so all site visitors can access content in public without headphones, for example).
All website visitors—not just those with disabilities—will appreciate these design changes, making your organization’s content more attractive, easier to navigate, and more discoverable by search engines.
More information on how to improve your site’s accessibility for visually and hearing impaired users is forthcoming as part of the More Canvas accessibility initiative.
IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY INTERNALLY
Making digital materials accessible for all employees allows candidates with disabilities to join your company. You’ll want to keep in mind the “reasonable accommodations” requirement set by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) to ensure that your company creates accessible interview approaches, training materials, and general work processes.
Disability is a kind of diversity that is often overlooked. Building a diverse workforce brings innovation to strategies, processes, and outreach, and can result in more rigorous solutions for problems that affect all employees.
According to Accenture, “companies that embrace inclusion outperform their competitors.” In their study of 140 businesses, the companies that led the way in disability employment also experienced 28 percent higher revenue and 30 percent higher profit margins.
If cost is a concern, please note that a 2017 study (performed by a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy) discovered that 59% of disability accommodations cost a business nothing, while the remaining accommodations typically cost only $500 per employee with a disability.
AVOIDING LIABILITY
Businesses that do not make their content accessible may be at risk for legal action. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which makes it illegal to discriminate against employees with disabilities, also includes a subset of new laws. So, while remote business owners may think that these laws don’t apply to a virtual company, the Website Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) laws undoubtedly do. The WCAG laws ensure the “same standards of equality of access online as in the physical world,” putting your company’s website at risk if it’s not digitally accessible.
IN CONCLUSION
Whether you’re looking for a cultural shift, improved innovation, or a general expansion in your firm’s reach, digital accessibility is no longer an option. It is critical to ensure your company is both meeting ADA requirements and not excluding one billion potential customers or employees.
Start with your website. Make a plan. Pull together a team.