Presented by AudioEye
While most organizations understand the importance of accessibility in theory, there is a significant gap between this awareness and actual implementation. Companies can’t just nod to accessibility, and it can’t just be a nice thing. The gap between knowing and doing not only exposes businesses to significant legal risk, but also costs them actual business and growth opportunities.
according to AudioEye just released 2026 Accessibility Preferences Report59% of business leaders say their organization faces legal risk due to a lack of accessibility if audited today, and more than half already face lawsuits or threats related to accessibility. This is not surprising, as the average web page today still has 297 accessibility issues based on AudioEye’s analysis of over 15,000 websites in 2025. Digital Accessibility Index.
The report, which surveyed more than 400 business leaders across the C-suite, VPs and directors, found that organizations understand accessibility issues, but most lack the systems, expertise and operational infrastructure to deliver it consistently, says Chad Sollis, CMO at AudioEye.
“What the data is clear about is that accessibility doesn’t stop because people don’t care,” says Sollis. “Fragmented ownership and reactive workflows make it difficult to keep up as digital experiences evolve. Leaders know accessibility matters, but their organizations aren’t set up to deliver it consistently.”
Why does digital accessibility provide a measurable business advantage?
with rules like European Accessibility Act the benefits of enforcement, now in place and gaining momentum globally, go far beyond avoiding litigation. More than half of executives now cite accessibility as a business development opportunity and recognize that accessible digital experiences drive better user outcomes worldwide.
“Organizations that treat accessibility as a mere compliance exercise are missing out on an opportunity to improve performance, reach new audiences, and create a more powerful digital experience for everyone,” says Sollis. “Accessibility is a growth lever hiding in plain sight.”
In fact, accessible design does not only serve users with disabilities; creating faster, more intuitive experiences for everyone. Organizations that lead in accessibility see it as a performance multiplier:
• improves site discovery through better structure and cleaner code
• reduces friction in the customer journey
• strengthens brand loyalty by demonstrating engagement
“Leaders who make the smartest decisions ask, ‘What’s the fastest solution?’ they don’t ask,” adds Sollis. “They’re asking, ‘What gives us continuous protection while improving the experience?'”
Where digital accessibility is impaired during execution
Despite widespread recognition of the importance of accessibility, implementation remains inconsistent. The report identifies what AudioEye calls the “Still Problem,” or the gap between good intentions and actual execution.
While many business leaders say they actively advocate for accessibility, the same percentage cite low budgets and limited expertise as barriers. Developers, designers, and content creators want to create accessible experiences. But when accessibility isn’t integrated into their day-to-day tools and processes, it adds extra steps, extra time and added cost to already heavy workloads and tight deadlines.
The result is what the report calls “patchwork accessibility,” or apps that look good on paper but fail users in practice. Many organizations treat accessibility as a project to be completed rather than an experiment to track compliance milestones or quick fixes without building sustainable systems.
“Affordability doesn’t fail because companies don’t try; it fails because it’s perceived as a one-tier problem,” says Sollis. “True accessibility encompasses code, content, design, and continuous change.”
This example illustrates a basic truth: accessibility fails because the systems that support it are not built for the people who do the work. It will continue to be prioritized until, among other priorities, accessibility becomes easier to design, build and monitor.
Limitations of fully built-in digital accessibility programs
Even when leaders provide better tools and bigger budgets, progress often stalls because of the misconception that accessibility must be solved entirely in-house. AudioEye calls this the “internal illusion,” or the assumption that internal responsibility automatically translates into organizational ability.
“There’s a growing gap between ownership and capability,” explains Sollis. “Managing accessibility within a company can create the illusion of control, but without the right expertise and support, progress often stalls.”
In fact, while nearly half of organizations manage accessibility with their own teams, 50% admit these teams lack internal accessibility expertise, and 43% cite competing priorities as the top barriers. Only 47% describe their programs as proactive, while the rest operate reactively or only meet the bare minimum.
The illusion persists because many organizations equate ownership with control and control with efficiency. In fact, accessibility is a specialized, evolving discipline.
Without cross-functional expertise and external leadership, well-intentioned teams do more for less impact and more cost. True ownership doesn’t mean doing everything yourself, it means knowing where to partner, automate and delegate.
The fastest-moving organizations are completely rethinking ownership, embracing accessibility as a system to manage rather than a silo to manage.
Building a sustainable digital accessibility program
The report’s findings point to a clear path forward: organizations must move accessibility from an aspiration to an operational habit. This requires giving teams what they need to effectively implement, maintain and measure availability.
Leading companies are building scalable systems that make accessibility a part of everyday work. Moreover, they elevate it from compliance cost to growth opportunity to ensure adequate budget and internal resources. They quantify the impact of the work to demonstrate that improving accessibility drives traffic, reduces abandonment, and expands the total addressable market.
Most importantly, they recognize that sustainability often requires partnerships.
“The organizations that make the most progress are those that treat accessibility as an ongoing system, not a one-off project,” says Sollis. “That means using automation to work at scale, connecting it with expert opinion for complex, high-risk issues, and actually providing protection when legal claims arise.”
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