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If you discovered an error that locked out 1 in every 6 customers, you would want this fixed as a matter of urgency. Yet for many organisations, this is already happening every day. The cause is inaccessible digital assets.

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From websites and apps to social media content and even basic Word or PDF documents, digital assets are everywhere. But they are often inaccessible to people living with a disability. By the World Health Organisation’s estimates, that is around 16% of the world’s population — or 1.3 billion people worldwide.

The solution is to understand and prioritise digital accessibility. By removing barriers to access you can make your brand more welcoming to everyone, regardless of background or ability.

To understand digital accessibility in under an hour, sign up for a free on-demand course from Digital Access Training: Introduction to Digital Accessibility.

This simple FAQ guide will also answer some of the most common questions around digital accessibility.

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility means taking into consideration how digital assets will be used by anyone with visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, or other disability. This makes content, services and technology more inclusive and welcoming to everyone. It’s a great way to improve user experience and make all digital communication easier to understand.

Here are five examples of digital accessibility in action:

1. Alt-text  

Giving images a brief description to provide context where an image isn’t visible or easily understood. This is also read aloud by screen readers when used by someone with a vision condition.

2. Closed captions and transcripts for videos 

Providing text that allows people to follow audio-portion of videos if they are deaf, hard of hearing, or having difficulty following dialogue. This may also include language translations.

3. Colour contrast 

Using strong, high-contrasting colours to make them more visible for people with visual or cognitive disorders.

4. Assistive technology 

Software or devices that help people with disability use their devices. For example, a screen reader can read aloud text or voice-enabled assistants.

5. Text resizing

Giving users the option to control the size of the text within your digital assets, helping to increase or decrease the font size for legibility.

For practical guides on how to write alt-text and understanding the role of colour in digital accessibility, check out these on-demand courses from Digital Access Training.

Who benefits from digital accessibility?

It’s no exaggeration to say that everyone benefits from digital accessibility.

Accessible content provides more options, making it easier for anyone to understand, not just people with permanent disability.

Accessibility supports people as they age, as well as temporary disability caused by injury or illness. Almost half the population over 65 experience a change in their vision, hearing and/or cognitive ability. Injury and illness can happen to anyone. It’s likely that everyone will experience a need for digital accessibility in their lifetime.

From a business perspective, becoming more inclusive and opening access to your digital assets has far-reaching benefits, including:

  • Meeting compliance and legal requirements for accessibility
  • Enhancing your brand engagement by being more inclusive
  • Expanding your audience and opportunity for revenue
  • Increasing the potential for innovation and solving unanticipated problems
  • Creating better user experiences that benefit everyone, not just people living with disability
  • Improving SEO because accessibility features are also read by search engines and AI
  • Future-proofing your business to evolve with an ageing demographic
  • Reducing the cost of having to retro-fit or redo content to meet accessibility requirements

Is digital accessibility a legal requirement in Australia?

All businesses have a legal requirement to make sure their services are accessible to people to disabilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

It is recommended that all websites meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Some government agencies have minimum standards set, but all businesses should provide equal access to their services and communications.

You can visit one of these websites to learn more about local accessibility requirements and the Australian Government Digital Service Standard:

Further help: For a clear picture of your obligations and what you need to do to achieve WCAG conformance, speak to Vision Australia’s Digital Access team about accessibility auditing and tailored services.

What are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are global standards created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These standards are regularly updated to maintain accessibility as technology evolves.

WCAG sets out success criteria for webpages to achieve what’s known as WCAG conformance. The minimum requirements are Level A, standard requirements are Level AA and satisfying all accessibility requirements is Level AAA.

Digital Access is one of the only Australian consultancies to provide tailored design and code solutions to achieve WCAG conformance. As one of the founding members of W3C, contact us to discuss how to overcome technical issues and deliver digital experiences that work for everyone.

How can I make my digital assets more accessible?

Great question! Everyone has a role to play in delivering accessible user experiences. From content creators and graphic designers to engineers and executives. When you consider accessibility, inclusive outcomes become embedded in everything you produce.

The best place to start is to develop an understanding of digital accessibility and how it applies to your working role. Here are some ideas to get started:

Want to know more?

If you have any more questions, contact one of our accessibility experts via email or call us on 1300 367 055.