Infosys recently published the report, Exploring digital accessibility priorities and investments in Australia and New Zealand organisations, today, on the International Day of People with Disability. The study assessed 670 organisations in Australia and 570 in New Zealand.

In response, disability access groups are calling on organisations to prioritise digital accessibility, recommending more collaboration and industry benchmarking.

From least to more advanced in their digital accessibility journey, the report found that in Australia:

• 9% of organisations are in an Emerging phase with no or minimal progress to date
• 41 % of organisations are in the Explorers phase, still in the early phase of building inclusive processes
• Almost half (47%) are in the Adopter phase of their journey with established digital accessibility strategies
• Only 3% of organisations are Trailblazers, ahead of the curve with embedding digital accessibility consistently across their organisation
• The research found three in five (59%) organisations believe that digital accessibility will only become widespread once it becomes legislated.

New Zealand organisations were leading their Australian counterparts when it came to online inclusion with 62% at Adopter phase compared to just 47% in Australia.

With the recent announcement of planned reforms by the New Zealand government to introduce the New Zealand Accessibility Act, along with a new Ministry for people with disability and collaboration programs between NGOs and the New Zealand government, the gap is expected to widen.

“This first of its kind research from Infosys provides a new insight into the mindsets of organisations when it comes to digital inclusion, and it clearly found those with a digital accessibility plan, strong internal leadership, and responsibility were streets ahead of those currently tackling the challenge in an inconsistent way,” comments Centre for Accessibility CEO Scott Hollier.

“By creating a national digital accessibility roadmap for organisations to model and benchmark their performance, we’ll overcome the first major hurdle for organisations that don’t know where to start,” Hollier adds.

"You wouldn't build a store without car parks for customers with a disability front and centre, so why should your website be any different?" asks Vision Australia manager for government relations and advocacy Chris Edwards.

“As a person with blindness, without accessible technology there is simply no way to engage with many organisations, whether that’s as a customer or as a member of the workforce. Businesses need to recognise they’re effectively cutting off a fifth of the population by not embedding accessibility in all their websites and digital touchpoints,” he says.

The report found a lack of understanding of the international standards for online accessibility, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). A third of respondents were completely unaware of WCAG. One third say they are aware but don’t know much about them.

“There’s a need to drive more awareness and education on the benefits of enabling better digital access for people with disability. While very significant, it’s not surprising to see that more than a third of respondents were not aware of the benefits of enabling digital access for their employees or customers. Normalising an inclusive culture is crucial if organisations are to accelerate their digital journeys,” Intopia managing director Stewart Hay comments.

Employment benefits not well recognised
The digital decision makers and insiders report an absence of clear objectives, perceived budgetary constraints, and lack of in-house expertise were the biggest accessibility roadblocks.

The goal of building a more diverse and inclusive culture was the biggest current motivation for Australian businesses (49%), followed by alignment with company values (39%), and a drive to broaden the customer base and support diverse client needs (39%).

Surprisingly less than a third of Australian organisations recognised the potential benefits of expanding the recruitment pool (31%), despite high demand for talent in the current Australian market.

“Educated workplaces are embracing an inclusive and diverse workforce, gaining access to a talent pool brimming with skilled people with disability. Through services such as our Access and Inclusion Index and Disability Confident Recruiter program, we’re helping many organisations to identify and remove unintended barriers to build a welcoming and inclusive workplace,” Australian Network on Disability deputy CEO Amy Whalley says.

Stark accessibility gaps across sectors
The report found finance and consulting as well as IT and retail organisations were leading when it came to digital accessibility standards. Businesses in the education, NFP and health and welfare sectors had the greatest room for improvement.

Despite the shift to online government services and a sharp uptick in digital inclusion measures through the pandemic (at a rate almost three times that of publicly listed companies), government organisations still rank the lowest for digital accessibility in Australia and New Zealand.

Public sector has among the lowest percentage of Adopters (37%) of all industries, also ranking furthest behind when it came to digital accessibility for employees.

The report identified three fundamental steps for organisations towards digital accessibility maturity:

1. Assessing current maturity and creating a Digital Accessibility roadmap or plan

2. Appointing an internal Digital Accessibility champion and leadership

3. A focus on more general accessibility improvements, like inclusion policies or physical accessibility improvements, were a precursor to digital accessibility maturity.

“Everyone wins when it comes to improving digital accessibility, including customers, employees, partners and business leaders. With clear targets, collaboration, and national benchmarking, we can all lift the digital inclusion standards,” concludes Infosys region head Australia and New Zealand and executive vice president Andrew Groth.