On July 21, 2021, Level Access chief executive office Tim Springer highlighted the latest trends and insights learned from the 2021 State of Digital Accessibility report.
In the one-hour webinar, Springer discussed findings from the survey, ranging from the impact of COVID to goals and challenges of digital accessibility at organizations.
What is the State of Digital Accessibility Report?
Conducted by Level Access, G3ict (The Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs), and IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals), 2021 is the third year for the State of Digital Accessibility survey.
The survey asks professionals to share feedback on their organization’s commitment to creating inclusive technology on websites, apps, software, and hardware.
The goals of the survey are to:
- Benchmark and justify digital accessibility programs/investments
- Understand where/how investments have the biggest impact
I shared highlights from their 2019 Digital Accessibility report.
The online survey is open to everyone; over 1,000 people participated in the 2021 survey.
Here are my notes from Springer’s talk.
Recap of 2021 State of Digital Accessibility Report
- Over 35 industries were represented in the survey, the top five industries were education, technology, consumer products and services, financial services, and the public sector
- About 3 of 4 survey participants work for organizations headquartered in the United States
- Majority of accessibility programs in organizations are less than seven years old
- Three top drivers for digital accessibility in organizations: including people with disabilities (78%), providing the best user experience for all users (62%), and complying with laws (62%)
- Three top personal drivers for digital accessibility: including people with disabilities (92%), providing the best user experience for all users (81%), and complying with laws (38%). Note the difference between personal vs. organization drivers
- Top three goals for accessibility programs: improving usability for people with disabilities (65%), implementing a standard, organization-wide approach to accessibility (52%), and maturing accessibility program (43%)
- When it comes to maturing accessibility programs, there’s a different perception from people working in accessibility vs. people on the ground doing the work to implement accessibility
- Biggest challenges in digital accessibility in 2021: time and training
- While 96% of organizations agree testing by people with disabilities is important, 47% of organizations aren’t doing it
- The longer a program has been established, the more likely it includes testing by people with disabilities
- Asked when last time an accessibility audit was conducted, 57% of organizations said they’ve conducted one in last 6 months with 73% saying they’ve conducted one in last year
- 91% of organizations use free tools to test accessibility, most frequent are browser extensions
- 82% of organizations don’t use overlay solutions for accessibility; 33% of organizations are using tools to monitor accessibility on live, public-facing systems
- Where should you place an accessibility specialist in your organization? It’s dependent on the type of industry. For example, in higher education, an accessibility specialist might be placed in Student Services, Office of Disability Rights, or Legal Counsel.
If you’re interested, the 2021 State of Digital Accessibility Report is available for download.
