Introduction
There is a question that few companies ask themselves when launching or redesigning their website: can everyone who wants to access it actually do so?
The answer, in most cases, is no. And not because there’s a conscious decision to exclude anyone, but because web accessibility is rarely part of the design and development conversations from the outset. It’s assumed that if the site looks good and works correctly in the major browsers, the job is done.
But a site not designed with accessibility in mind can be completely unusable for people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities. And that’s not just an ethical issue: in a growing number of countries and sectors, it’s also a legal one.
This article explains what web accessibility is, what international regulations require, why more and more companies are prioritizing the issue, and how to address it practically without having to rebuild the site from scratch.
What is web accessibility and who does it affect?
Web accessibility is the practice of designing and developing websites and digital applications so that they can be used by anyone, regardless of their physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities.
According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. Many of them rely on assistive technologies to navigate the web: screen readers that convert text to audio, special keyboards that replace the mouse, speech recognition software, or tools that magnify screen content.
An accessible website works correctly with all those technologies. One that isn’t, simply doesn’t exist for a significant portion of its potential users.
But accessibility doesn’t just benefit people with permanent disabilities. It also improves the experience for older adults who struggle with small text or low contrast, people with temporary injuries like a broken arm, users in dimly lit environments or with slow connections, and anyone who prefers to navigate with a keyboard rather than a mouse. In practice, a more accessible website is a better website for everyone.
WCAG: the international reference standard
When discussing web accessibility in normative terms, the universal point of reference is the WCAG , short for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines, developed and maintained by the W3C, the international consortium that sets web standards, represent the global consensus on what constitutes an accessible website.
WCAG is organized around four fundamental principles that all web content must comply with.
The first is that the content must be perceptible : all information must be perceptible in some way, which means, for example, that images must have alternative text that screen readers can read, and that videos must have subtitles.
The second is that the interface must be operable : all the site’s functions must be usable without a mouse, using only a keyboard, and without requiring interactions that some people cannot physically perform.
The third is that the content must be understandable : the language must be clear, the navigation predictable, and the forms must clearly indicate what information is expected and what mistakes were made.
The fourth is that the site must be robust : the content must work correctly with current and future assistive technologies, which implies following good coding and structural practices.
Within each of these principles, the WCAG defines success criteria organized into three levels: A, AA, and AAA. Level A is the minimum requirement. Level AA is the standard required by most legal regulations and is considered reasonable for most sites. Level AAA is the most demanding and is generally reserved for specialized contexts.
The legal framework: why compliance is no longer optional
For years, web accessibility was treated as a voluntary good practice. That time is ending in many parts of the world, and Latin America is no exception.
In the United States , the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been increasingly applied to the websites of companies and organizations, generating thousands of lawsuits in recent years against companies that failed to comply with accessibility standards. The legal precedent is clear: websites are considered public spaces and must be accessible.
In the European Union , the European Accessibility Act came into force in 2025 and requires that digital products and services, including websites and mobile applications, comply with accessibility standards. Companies operating in or targeting the European market must meet these requirements or face penalties.
In Latin America , several countries have specific legislation on digital accessibility. Argentina has Law 26.653 on Accessibility of Information on Internet Pages, which requires public sector websites to comply with WCAG standards. Brazil has the Brazilian Inclusion Law, which includes provisions on digital accessibility. Chile, Colombia, and Mexico have similar regulatory frameworks that are being progressively strengthened.
For companies that operate in multiple markets or have an international presence, compliance with WCAG Level AA is not just a social responsibility: it is a necessity to operate without legal risk.
Why most sites fail to comply and what fixing it entails
If the regulations exist and the benefits are clear, why are most websites still not accessible?
The answer has several layers. The first is that accessibility isn’t immediately apparent. A website can look perfectly fine on screen but be completely unusable for someone using a screen reader. Accessibility issues are largely invisible to those browsing without needing it, which means they don’t generate the same urgency as, for example, a broken button.
The second reason is that addressing it in a traditional way requires technical intervention. Auditing a website, identifying all accessibility issues, and correcting them in the code takes time, requires specialized knowledge, and for large sites, it can be a project lasting months. For many companies, this cost and complexity mean the issue always remains on the to-do list.
The third reason is that accessibility is not a static state. Every time new content is added to the site, the design is modified, or new functionality is incorporated, new problems can arise. Maintaining an accessible site is an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
How to address accessibility in a practical way
The first step for any company that wants to improve its website’s accessibility is to understand its current state. Automated auditing tools can scan a site and generate a detailed report of the issues found, categorized by severity level and the specific WCAG criteria that are not met. These tools provide an initial snapshot of the site’s condition and allow companies to prioritize what to address first.
The second step is to distinguish between problems that require code modification and those that can be resolved in other ways. Some accessibility improvements are relatively simple: adding alternative text to images, improving color contrast between text and background, ensuring forms have correct labels. Others are more complex and require structural changes to the site’s code.
For companies that need to move forward quickly without a complete redesign process, there are solutions that allow for significantly improved site accessibility with minimal technical implementation.
One of the most widely used on the market is UserWay , a web accessibility platform that integrates into the site with a single line of code and, once installed, automatically applies a series of accessibility settings and offers users a widget from which they can customize their browsing experience according to their needs: increase text size, activate high contrast mode, enable keyboard navigation, activate an integrated screen reader, and several other options.
UserWay also includes auditing and monitoring tools that allow you to identify site accessibility issues, track compliance over time, and generate reports that document the accessibility status for legal or internal audit purposes.
What makes this solution especially relevant for companies that need to move forward without delay is its speed of implementation: it requires no website redesign, no extensive technical redesign, and can be up and running in a matter of hours. It’s a solid starting point while working on longer-term structural improvements.
Accessibility and SEO: a benefit that few companies anticipate
There is an additional benefit of web accessibility that few companies consider when evaluating whether it is worth investing in the issue: its positive impact on search engine ranking.
Many of the practices that improve a site’s accessibility are the same ones that search engines value for indexing and ranking content. Alternative text for images helps screen readers describe the visual content, but it also tells Google what the image depicts. A clear, hierarchical heading structure makes navigation easier for users with assistive technologies and also helps search engines understand the content structure. Clean, semantically correct code is more accessible and also easier to index.
In practice, improving a site’s accessibility usually has a measurable positive effect on its SEO performance, making investment in accessibility something that generates returns in multiple dimensions simultaneously.
Where to begin?
For a company that is evaluating how to address web accessibility, a reasonable sequence is as follows.
First, conduct an audit of the current state of the site using one of the available assessment tools. This establishes a baseline and allows you to determine the scope of work required.
Second, implement a solution that allows for immediate progress toward compliance while structural improvements are being made. This reduces legal risk in the short term and improves the experience for users already visiting the site.
Third, incorporate accessibility as a review criterion in every site update. Every time content is added, the design is modified, or new functionality is incorporated, verify that no new accessibility problems are introduced.
Fourth, document the process. Having a record of the work done on accessibility is valuable both for internal audits and to demonstrate good faith in case of legal requirements.
Conclusion
Web accessibility is no longer the sole domain of large corporations with inclusive design teams. It’s a responsibility that applies to any company with a digital presence, and one that carries concrete legal, commercial, and reputational consequences for those who ignore it.
The good news is that getting started doesn’t require a months-long project or a disproportionate investment. There are tools that allow you to take concrete steps quickly, and a market that, as regulations become stricter, will increasingly value companies that took the issue seriously before it became mandatory.
Want to know how accessible your company’s website is? At aufieroinformatica.com you can consult with our specialists and find the best solution for your needs.
