Who does web accessibility cover?

According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 billion people — about 16% of the world's population — live with some form of disability. Web accessibility directly affects these groups:

  • Vision: Blindness, low vision, color blindness. Needs: screen readers, magnification, high contrast.
  • Hearing: Deafness and hearing loss. Needs: captions and transcripts for video.
  • Motor: Inability to use a mouse, tremors, muscular conditions. Needs: keyboard navigation, large click targets.
  • Cognitive and neurological: Dyslexia, ADHD, epilepsy. Needs: plain content, readable typography, animation control.

Accessibility also covers temporary limitations (a broken arm), situational ones (a baby in your arms) and an ageing population. In short: every one of your visitors.

POUR: the four principles

The international standard, WCAG, defines accessibility with four principles:

  1. Perceivable: Content must be perceivable by everyone — alt text for images, captions for video, sufficient color contrast.
  2. Operable: The interface must be usable by everyone — keyboard access, enough time, no seizure-triggering content.
  3. Understandable: Content and behavior must be clear — plain language, consistent navigation, explained errors.
  4. Robust: Content must work with assistive technologies — valid code, correct ARIA usage.

Why it matters: three concrete reasons

1. Legal obligation

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in June 2025; accessibility is now mandatory for e-commerce and service websites serving the EU. In the US, more than 4,000 digital accessibility lawsuits are filed every year under the ADA.

2. A wider audience, higher conversion

An inaccessible site turns away a significant share of your potential customers at the door. Accessible sites also perform better in SEO: semantic structure, alt texts and fast pages help search engines too.

3. Brand reputation

Inclusion has become a measurable part of corporate responsibility, and conformance statements are increasingly requested in procurement.

The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect. — Tim Berners-Lee, W3C founder

Where to start

  1. Measure where you are: Request a free accessibility test to see your site's current state.
  2. Take the quick wins: Common issues like contrast, alt text and keyboard access are fixed fast with automated tools. Check the AccessNox demo.
  3. Make it continuous: Accessibility is not a one-off project; every new piece of content brings new risks.

Shortcut: AccessNox bundles these steps in one package — the widget, AI alt text and usage statistics. Start a 14-day free trial.