Accessibility reads: Thursday, January 16
Happy New Year! Welcome to a new year of Accessibility Reads.
In my short video below, I talk about some of the latest accessibility stories that have caught my attention in these first two weeks of 2025. I explore their significance and explain why I recommend you check them out.
Do you have a story you think we should read? Please share it on social and make sure to tag us! You can also leave a comment on this post.
Featured articles
Year-end is always hectic as people deal with everything from annual reviews and budgetary planning to juggling vacation schedules. It’s hard to keep up!
To complicate matters, it’s also a time when insightful year-end reports and statistics start coming at you from all sides. With everything that’s going on, it can be easy to miss valuable resources. By the time you get back to the office, it’s often too late to catch up
I’m here to help!
Here is a small handful of reports and roundups that I found to contain particularly useful information and quotable statistics:
After three years of monitoring the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile apps, Gov.uk can now publish common defects and trends on accessibility statements.
Barrier Free Canada has published The State of Online Banking Canada report, which showcases the clear leader in the space, as well as those “that stand out for their efforts to comply with accessibility standards.”
A new Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey confirms that while consumer awareness of digital accessibility is growing, a majority of websites still fail to meet regulatory requirements. The report also asserts that “75% believe it is important brands ensure digital CX is accessible for all.”
Accessibility is cited as one of the 2025 predictions for the UK’s trillion-dollar tech industry.
A study of 20,000 academic PDFs from 2014 to 2023 has revealed an alarming trend: Accessibility is getting worse, not better. “Less than 3.2% of these documents meet basic accessibility standards, making it nearly impossible for blind or low-vision users to engage with the content.”
When it comes to accessibility, banks outperform e-commerce and media websites, according to a global Contentsquare Foundation audit. One finding: “Only 7% of websites showed consistent accessibility efforts, and the grand majority—71%—of high-ranking websites were from public sector organizations.”
The Canadian Government has published its Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) 2024 Accessibility Progress Report, which breaks down their progress and challenges as they continue to “move forward on the path to create a Canada without barriers by 2040.”
The US General Services Administration (GSA) has published its FY 24 Governmentwide Section 508 Assessment, finding that “on average, governmentwide maturity remained moderate but slightly improved to 2.37 on a 5-point maturity index, up from 2.17 in FY23. However, conformance did not improve, dropping YOY from 1.79 to 1.74 on the conformance index, remaining low. More than 60% of respondents reported no change in conformance across their most-viewed ICT content.” You can learn more about the findings by checking out Five takeaways from GSA’s latest Section 508 assessment from the Federal News Network. Among the numbers they explore is the reality that: “only 23% of the top-visited public websites fully conform with Section 508 standards.”
NextGov FCW echoes that agencies still struggle with online accessibility and offers predictions for the landscape under the Trump administration.
UsableNet released its much anticipated 2024 Digital Accessibility Lawsuit Report and Insights for 2025. This is always the go-to source of quotable stats for every digital accessibility program leader. There are some real stunners in here, dear reader, such as:
- “One in four lawsuits filed in 2024 involved companies that plaintiffs had already sued in the past.”
- “82% of the top 500 e-commerce retailers, or 411 companies, have faced ADA-related digital lawsuits since 2018.”
- “In 2024, over 1,000 businesses were sued, despite having accessibility widgets on their websites, accounting for more than 25% of cases.”
Seyfarth Shaw also released their 2024 ADA Title III recap and predictions for 2025. They foresee an uptick in lawsuit filings from 2023 and expect less enforcement and rule-making activity from the US Department of Justice in the coming year under the Trump administration. The article also focuses on the year in numbers, as well as key kiosk, hotel, and class action cases of note. Finally, they predict that rulemaking on EV charging stations and self-service kiosks will likely stall (no pun intended).
Converge Accessibility’s year-end update includes the growing dominance of the nexus standard, the refining of the “intent to return” defense, and anticipation of the impact of the Loper Bright decision in 2025.
More stories
Below, I’ve gathered some additional links to compelling stories that I think are well worth exploring:
What is Product Accessibility?
What, why, and how to achieve product accessibility?
CES 2025: Delta, CTA Foundation, and Auracast Driving Accessibility Progress
At the Consumer Electronics Show 2025, Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with the CTA Foundation, showcased advancements in accessibility, including the implementation of Auracast technology. This innovation aims to enhance the travel experience for passengers with disabilities by providing improved audio communication and personalized services.
Board game project unites children with disabilities in Ukraine
One young UPSHIFT participant is making board games accessible to children with visual impairments.
From Braille to AI: Shaping a more accessible future
Lars Bosselmann, the Executive Director of the European Blind Union, chats about efforts to secure the rights of the visually impaired.
Schools are learning how to use AI to assist students with disabilities
Artificial intelligence holds the promise of helping countless students with a range of visual, speech, language, and hearing impairments execute certain tasks.
Lloyds Bank has released its disability and neurodiversity training to the world for free as part of their commitment to creating inclusive workplaces.
An accessible yacht and a crew with disabilities are taking on the Sydney to Hobart
The Sydney to Hobart is grueling, challenging, and a test of will. Alyson Gearing is ready to take it on as part of a crew of people with disabilities.
This week’s recommended read
If you read just one thing this week, I recommend:
A US Federal Trade Commission order requires online marketer accessiBe to pay $1 Million for deceptive claims that its AI product could make websites compliant with accessibility guidelines. The order also states that they failed to disclose material connections to online reviewers.
Bonus content!
The entertainment industry’s annual awards season has just kicked off. The industry continues to push the need for inclusion and representation. Actors, writers, and directors participated in a conversation showcasing that accessibility is worth investing in and called everyone to action to prioritize disability inclusion.
At the Golden Globes, Zoe Saldaña gave an emotional speech highlighting a lesser-known Dyslexia symptom. Sebastian Stan spoke about the importance of representation and including people with disabilities in our conversations about fighting back against social prejudices. In a first, Aria Mia Loberti walked the 2024 Golden Globes red carpet with her guide dog, Miss Ingrid.
Next steps
Thank you for joining me for Accessibility Reads and all you do to bring equality to the digital world. Stay tuned for our next edition!
Please visit deque.com to learn more about how we’re advancing digital accessibility and inclusion across the globe.
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