DEVOPSdigest

As the European Accessibility Act (EAA) deadline draws closer, my organization, Applause, just released the results of our fifth annual State of Digital Quality in Accessibility survey. Over 1,500 developers, engineers, QA, UX and legal professionals were surveyed. The results reveal the growing awareness and adoption of inclusive design while also highlighting the gaps in relevant expertise and QA processes for accessibility.

Organizations Consider Digital Accessibility a Top or Important Priority

Let's start with the good news. Digital accessibility awareness has steadily grown over the past four years, with the majority of organizations considering it a priority. Specifically:

■ 84% of respondents said digital accessibility is a top priority or important priority for their company. Fewer than 6% considered it a low priority or not a priority at all.

■ 80% of respondents said there is a person or group at their organization responsible for ensuring the accessibility of products, up from 52% in 2022. And, 86% of those responsible for accessibility are incorporating inclusive design principles starting at the planning stage of software development.

■ Education around digital accessibility is steadily climbing, with nearly three-quarters of respondents rating their understanding of the concept as intermediate (36%), advanced (30%), or expert (8%).

Gaps in Digital Accessibility Expertise

The bad news next — despite this increased awareness, gaps in digital accessibility expertise and QA processes remain:

■ 68% of respondents reported lacking the expertise or resources needed to test for accessibility independently, or on an ongoing basis.

■ Only one-third of respondents said they engage with people with disabilities (PWD) in digital accessibility efforts.

■ Half of organizations testing AI products are not including PWD viewpoints in testing efforts.

■ 48% of respondents don't have or don't know if they have processes in place to stop a product release with inaccessible features from going into production.

AI, Automation, and Accessibility

The survey uncovered additional insights related to AI-powered accessibility and automation tools:

■ 47% of respondents said AI provides significant value to accessibility testing already, with another 37% believing AI will provide that value within the next two years.

■ 59% of respondents shared they use or plan to use automation tools to identify accessibility issues.

■ 40% plan to use AI for accessibility issues within their organization.

Other Key Findings:

■ Development teams continue to shift left, with 77% of developers addressing accessibility in the earliest stages of the development lifecycle, an increase of 6% from the past few years.

■ Mistakes are still slipping into production, with the top issues including:

- Videos lacking captions (32%)

- Website incompatibility with screen readers (30%)

- Error alerts that are not descriptive (27%)

■ When asked why they and their organization are trying to conform to accessibility standards, 45% of respondents ranked “improving usability for all users” as the main reason.

Despite a growing commitment to digital accessibility from individuals and organizations alike, the resources needed for continuous, independent accessibility testing are still lacking. Many organizations are turning to automated and AI testing solutions to support internal efforts, but added investment in external expertise and support is still needed to help bridge this gap. Furthermore, those working to develop AI products are not seeking input from diverse user groups like PWD, which is essential to reducing AI bias. Without access to the right expertise as well as end users with disabilities to provide feedback, achieving digital accessibility remains an ongoing challenge.

That said, overall, the trends for digital accessibility are positive. The majority of professionals and organizations want to deliver great digital experiences for all users, not just check a compliance box. Organizations are starting to create dedicated roles and teams to ensure digital experiences are inclusive. With the right resources at their disposal, digital accessibility for all will become more and more of a reality.