Digital accessibility is now firmly on the agenda for most brands. But how accessibility is viewed has changed. For the world’s leading brands, ensuring websites, apps, and digital documents meet legal and regulatory standards for the inclusion of people with disabilities is no longer simply a compliance “must-do.” Increasingly, it’s being recognized as a driver of better user experiences for everyone, as well as of brand strength and business growth.
Recent research published by Level Access, a provider of digital accessibility solutions, has revealed that a significant majority of global digital professionals believe accessibility improves customer satisfaction, strengthens their organization’s reputation, and contributes to increased revenue.
To better understand how accessibility delivers these business benefits, we spoke with Sil Segal, Chief Marketing Officer at Level Access, about the findings.
Jordan French: What has driven the wider appreciation of accessibility within businesses?
Sil Segal: Compliance has undoubtedly been a catalyst. Regulations have tightened in the U.S. and globally. For example, the European Accessibility Act became enforceable last year, requiring organizations to take a more structured and proactive approach. This shift, initially driven by legal risk, is now delivering broader business benefits—leading to the perceived value of accessibility growing across organizations.
This evolution in attitudes is clearly reflected in our annual State of Digital Accessibility Report, which we’ve published for seven consecutive years. Each year, more respondents point to a broader range of commercial and strategic benefits. This year, we surveyed more than 1,600 digital experience professionals across the US, UK, and Europe. We’ve now reached a point where nine in ten respondents believe accessibility gives their organization a competitive advantage.
Jordan French: How have these changing attitudes impacted strategic business priorities?
Sil Segal: Accessibility is moving from being treated as an afterthought to being embedded across digital strategy, design, and development. When digital assets are built with accessibility in mind from the outset, organizations can reach broader audiences and reduce friction across the customer journey. This approach is helping to improve experiences for everyone, not only people with disabilities. It drives innovation, strengthens customer satisfaction and loyalty, and delivers measurable commercial impact. For instance, it’s now the case that three-quarters of organizations say accessibility improves revenue.
Jordan French: If companies are new to accessibility but want to make a start, what steps can they take to ensure their digital assets are more accessible?
Sil Segal: For companies just getting started, the first step is simply understanding where barriers exist today. Tools that test digital assets and identify accessibility issues across design and development can help teams make meaningful progress quickly, without needing to overhaul everything at once.
Equally important is putting the right people, processes, and governance in place to make accessibility sustainable over time. Many organizations are already taking steps in this direction: a growing number now have accessibility policies and dedicated budgets. Where support can be valuable is in helping teams become more proactive—currently, just 27% address accessibility at the digital experience planning stage, and only 28% during experience design.
This is where working with an experienced accessibility partner can make a real difference. This helps organizations embed best practices earlier, build confidence across teams, and reduce the need for costly remediation later. The goal isn’t perfection from day one, but steady, scalable progress that supports inclusive design and long-term business impact.
Jordan French: When it comes to accessibility tools, what role is AI now playing? Can it help businesses improve their application of accessibility best practices?
Sil Segal: AI is already playing a meaningful role in accessibility, and its impact will continue to grow. In fact, 82% of organizations say they are incorporating AI tools into their accessibility strategy. Today, AI helps teams to automate repetitive testing tasks, streamline remediation, and apply best practices more consistently at scale—enabling people to focus on higher-value work.
Where organizations see the greatest impact is through what we call Hybrid Intelligence: the combination of AI-driven automation, a unified accessibility platform, and human expertise. Each is powerful on its own, but none is sufficient in isolation. AI provides speed and scale, platforms create structure and visibility, and people bring judgment, governance, and real-world context.
This combination allows accessibility to keep pace with rapid development cycles, while ensuring decisions remain grounded in user needs and business priorities. It’s not about replacing human involvement, but about supporting teams to deliver accessible digital experiences more consistently and sustainably.
Jordan French: How does Level Access support companies that are looking to improve digital accessibility within their organization?
Sil Segal: We work with organizations at every stage of their accessibility journey, from teams just getting started to those scaling more mature programs. Our focus is on meeting organizations where they are and helping them make steady, sustainable progress, rather than treating accessibility as a one-time initiative.
Drawing on experience across a wide range of industries and maturity levels, we help teams understand where to focus first, embed accessibility into day-to-day design and development, and put the right governance and reporting in place to support long-term impact. That work combines technology with hands-on expertise, ensuring accessibility practices are practical, scalable, and aligned with real business needs.
