Every interaction on your website is an opportunity—or a barrier.
For many users, navigating a website isn’t always straightforward. What may seem like a simple task—reading content, clicking a button, or filling out a form—can be difficult or even impossible without accessible design.
That’s why accessibility is no longer optional. It plays a critical role in how users experience your brand, how far your reach extends, and how effectively your website performs.
Disability Statistics
Making your website accessible means making it better for everyone.
As humans, we are all only temporarily able-bodied. At one point or another, we may all experience a disability—whether that’s a broken arm, vision loss, permanent blindness, or something else either permanent or temporary
There is a large and growing population with various disabilities that can make interacting with websites a challenge:
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million people in the U.S. have visual impairments, and more than 1 million have blindness.
- Color blindness affects approximately every 1 in 12 men(8%) and 1 in every 200 women (0.5%).
- Around 1 in 10 people have dyslexia. That meansmore than 40 million adults in the United Stateshave trouble reading.
- Cognitive disabilities affect 12.8% of adults in theUnited States.•The world’s population is aging, with people aged 60+ projected to be at 1.4 billion by 2030—or more than 16% of the population.
- Situational disabilities, such as a broken arm or occupied hands, also contribute to people’s ability to interact with websites
Accessibility is how we address all of these challenges.
Business Results
By building accessible websites, we ensure websites are usable by the broadest number of people.
More than the ethical benefits, building an accessible website also drives business success.
The Return on Disability Group estimates the world’s disabled population controls more than $2.6 trillion in annual disposable income. If you don’t make your website accessible to everyone, you’re leaving money on the table.
“With an estimated disposable income of over $2.6 trillion, people with disabilities anchor the largest emerging market in the world. Long thought of as an economically poor demographic, the aging of the baby boomer generation and increased frequency of cognitive/mental health disabilities throughout the population ensures that discretionary spending will disproportionately touch disability over the next two decades”
Source: Global Economics of Disability Report: 2024, The Return on Disability Group It is no longer acceptable to build inaccessible websites.
It is no longer acceptable to build inaccessible websites.
We have the tools, resources, and technology to make websites available to peoplethat rely on assistive technology or those living with limited access to technology and data.
A focus on accessibility can improve everyone’s experience, regardless of ability
This blog is part of our Website Accessibility Guide, a series exploring how businesses can build more inclusive websites.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Why website accessibility matters and the impact it has on your bottom line
- How to design and build inclusive websites to provide a better experience for all of your customers
- How to implement simple changes to create websites that can be accessed by people of all abilities, and ensure usability for assistive technologies
Click here to download the complete guide as a PDF. You can also continue following along as we publish additional articles from the guide here on our blog.
Let’s create a more inclusive internet together!