Insights by Samantha Carter, PhD
Founder, Access 11
In Partnership with Scale Accessibility
An Introduction to Digital Accessibility
When we talk about building inclusive work environments, we often think of physical accessibility: ramps, elevators, and clear signage. But the modern workplaces no longer occupy only physical space. From applying for jobs to navigating the physical and virtual work spaces, our quality of life is increasingly mediated by digital tools.
Accordingly, inclusion also requires digital accessibility, which recognizes this modern reality and treats access as a human right.
At its core, digital accessibility means ensuring that people with disabilities can navigate digital content and systems. It is one of the most pressing and dynamic social issues of our time, sitting at the intersection of disability, law, technology, design, ethics, and more. Since each of these respective fields is constantly evolving, digital accessibility is undeniably a complex ongoing practice.
Let’s continue with the helpful metaphor of thinking of the digital world like a physical space.
Websites, emails, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, internal portals, and web applications are the hallways, doorways, and work spaces we move through every day. If those spaces are poorly designed, entire groups of people are excluded because the environment was never built with them in mind. For businesses, this impacts your hiring and the ability of many of your employees to succeed in their jobs.
This matters more than many realize. To give some context, consider that roughly 25% of the world’s population lives with a disability, yet fewer than 5% of websites are considered accessible. This is especially important to keep in mind as many of the digital tools we use every single day are web-based at some stage of the user experience. This means that millions of people encounter barriers when trying to meet critical needs. Specific to the work environment, these barriers also directly affect recruitment, retention, compliance, and employee well-being.
WCAG
Internationally, digital accessibility is guided by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards inform laws and regulations all over the world. While the technical details are often handled by designers and developers, HR and legal professionals play a critical role in ensuring these standards are applied and upheld across organizations.
In practice, digital accessibility includes understanding how assistive technologies—such as screen readers, voice navigation tools, or captioning—interact with digital content. It also involves testing systems with real users, embedding accessibility into workflows from the start, and recognizing that accessibility is a shared responsibility across teams, not an isolated technical concern.
Importantly, it’s not something that you achieve one day and then forget about. It’s an ongoing practice that has to become inherent to the way we work.
Digital Accessibility in HR and Legal Contexts
For HR and legal professionals, digital accessibility carries unique implications. Recruitment platforms, job application portals, on-boarding materials, internal communications, training documents, and benefits systems are all part of the employee experience. If these systems are not digitally accessible, organizations risk excluding qualified candidates, leaving employees at a disadvantage, and exposing themselves to legal and reputational risk.
Globally, digital accessibility is increasingly being codified as a non-discrimination requirement. The European Union began enforcement of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in June 2025, which requires a wide range of private-sector products and services to meet accessibility standards. Simultaneously, in the United States, the Department of Justice’s ADA Title II final rule now mandates that large state and local government entities achieve full digital compliance by April 2026, with smaller public entities following in 2027. These laws extend beyond the borders of their nations and apply to any entity intending to touch those markets.
And those are just a couple of examples. While regulatory enforcement varies by region, the trend is clear: expectations are evolving, and organizations are increasingly being held accountable for digital barriers that prevent equitable participation.
Getting Started: Practical Entry Points
The good news is that meaningful progress in this space does not require perfection. Awareness and education are powerful first steps. HR professionals can begin by reviewing job application systems to ensure they are usable with keyboards and screen readers, for example. Even simple choices such as ensuring sufficient color contrast, using clear headings, or avoiding image-only job postings, can dramatically improve access.
Social media is another common use case. Whether promoting roles on LinkedIn or sharing updates on Instagram, companies can add alternative text to images, use captions on videos, and write clearer, more readable posts.
These small practices signal inclusion and expand reach at the same time.
Becoming an Advocate
With digital accessibility, every step forward matters. Asking accessibility questions during the procurement of new technology, talking about inclusive practices with colleagues, and embedding accessibility into everyday decision-making all contribute to meaningful change.
That’s why I strongly believe that HR and legal professionals are uniquely positioned to champion these conversations as part of building fair and future-ready organizations.
Resources
If you’d like to know more about digital accessibility in the workplace, I’ve pulled together the following resources for you to check out and learn more.
Human Resources & Digital Accessibility | Nexus Inclusion
HR Magazine – Why HR should prioritise digital accessibility
Guidebook on accessibility of online job application and recruitment systems – ITU
How to make your hiring process accessible to disabled jobseekers – Sense