What Is Digital Accessibility?

Digital accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites, apps, and other digital content so that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with them effectively. The term encompasses a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments, and is guided by standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(opens in a new tab) (WCAG). 

Put simply, web accessibility is the design of online content that people with disabilities can use. 

So what is digital accessibility? And what does it look like in practice? We’ll discuss the important concepts of digital accessibility and explain how to create more accessible content below.

Why is Digital Accessibility Important?

Digital accessibility matters because it determines whether your organization can effectively reach and serve all of its audience. An estimated 1 in 4 Americans in the U.S.(opens in a new tab) live with some form of disability. If your website, app, or digital content isn’t accessible, you risk excluding a significant portion of your customers, employees, and community. 

Beyond inclusion, accessible digital experiences deliver real business value. Websites built with accessibility best practices tend to rank higher in search results, since many accessibility principles — such as clear structure, descriptive alt text, and semantic HTML — closely align with what search engines reward. Users of all abilities also benefit from clearer navigation and a more intuitive design, which strengthens customer relationships and enhances brand reputation.

There’s also a growing legal imperative. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires equal access to “places of public accommodation,” and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ruled that this extends to websites. Organizations that fail to meet accessibility standards face real legal risk — businesses of all sizes have been sued under the ADA for digital accessibility issues, from small companies to global brands like Domino’s and Netflix(opens in a new tab). 

Put simply, digital accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a strategic and legal necessity.

What are the Technical Standards for Digital Accessibility?

Disabilities affect the behaviors and preferences of internet users in countless ways, which means accessibility isn’t a one-time fix or a box to check — it’s an ongoing practice of designing, building, and maintaining digital experiences that work for everyone. A structured approach is the best way to achieve this. 

That’s where the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(opens in a new tab) (WCAG) come in. Published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG is the most widely accepted standard for digital accessibility. It exists to give designers, developers, and content creators a shared framework for understanding what accessible digital experiences look like in practice.

WCAG standards are organized around four core principles, often referred to as POUR. Accessible content must be:

• Perceivable: Information and interface elements must be presented in ways all users can detect. For example, images should include alt text so people who can’t see them still receive the information.

• Operable: Navigation and interactive elements must work through a variety of input methods, such as keyboards, voice commands, or assistive technologies — not just a mouse.

• Understandable: Content and interfaces should be clear and predictable so that all users can read, navigate, and interact with confidence. 

• Robust: Content must be built to work reliably across current and future technologies, including browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers. 

These principles don’t just define a technical standard — they support a broader accessibility goal: making digital spaces genuinely usable for people with disabilities. WCAG translates these principles into specific success criteria, organized into three conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. Most organizations aim for Level AA, which is widely considered the benchmark for most website legal requirements, including the ADA, Section 508, and more.

Which Version of WCAG Should I Follow?

The W3C recommends following the accessibility standards included in WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which is the most widely adopted version and the benchmark most legal and industry standards reference. It covers web, mobile, and assistive technology accessibility. WCAG 2.2, released in October 2023, is the latest version and builds on 2.1 with additional criteria.

A list of common digital accessibility barriers, including no captions, low contrast text, keyboard accessibility issues and no alt text.

What are Common Accessibility Barriers in Web Content?

An accessibility barrier is anything in a digital experience that prevents a person with a disability from accessing information or completing a task. These barriers often go unnoticed by the people who create them, but for users who rely on assistive technologies or alternative input methods, they can make a website effectively unusable. 

Barriers typically fall into three categories based on the type of impact they create:

• Sensory barriers affect users who are blind, have low vision, or are deaf or hard of hearing. Common examples include images without alt text, which leave screen reader users with no way to understand visual content; videos without captions or transcripts; and low color contrast that makes text difficult or impossible to read.

• Motor barriers affect users who navigate without a mouse, including people with limited mobility, tremors, or repetitive strain injuries. These barriers include interactive elements that can’t be reached with a keyboard, small or closely spaced tap targets, and drag-based interactions that offer no alternative input method.

• Cognitive barriers affect users with conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, or intellectual disabilities. Examples include dense, jargon-heavy content with no clear structure; inconsistent navigation that changes from page to page; and time-limited interactions that don’t give users enough time to process or respond. 

These categories often overlap — a single design choice can create barriers for multiple groups at once. Understanding where barriers exist is the first step toward removing them and creating a more accessible design.

Web browser that encourages users to click and get their free web accessibility score

How Can I Test My Website for Digital Accessibility?

Digital accessibility is an ongoing journey, not a destination. The principles and standards above provide a solid foundation for enhancing accessibility, but putting them into practice starts with understanding how accessible your site is currently.

An accessibility audit is the most effective way to identify existing barriers and prioritize what to fix first. Some issues can be caught through automated testing, while others — particularly cognitive and contextual barriers — require human review. The best approach? It combines both.

AudioEye's Accessibility Platform uses that combined approach, pairing automated testing across 37 of 55 known accessibility issues (more than any tool on the market) with expert human review and continuous monitoring to help organizations identify and address barriers over time.

Get started by seeing where your site stands today with our free Website Accessibility Checker.