Anybody working in the tech industry would agree that, as software developers, we pride ouselves on building beautiful, secure products properly.

We take care of the details. We keep ourselves and our code up-to-date with the latest news and versions. We patch, review, comment, refactor, and marvel at the sight of dry, clean code and fast response times.

So, please tell me, why are we so rubbish at accessibility?

Yes, we are rubbish

Strong words, I know, but in my opinion completely justified. Otherwise, how do you explain the terrible WebAIM Million report results, year after year?

95.9% of the top million website homepages have accessibility errors. The average is 56.8 errors per page.

“Ah, but accessibility is hard“, you may say.

To which my answer is: “Not all of it is“.

The most common failures, as identified by the report, definitely are not the hardest to fix. According to the latest report, the most common accessibility errors are:

1. Low colour contrast (81% of homepages)
2. Missing alternative text for images (54.5% of homepages)
3. Missing form input labels (48.6% of homepages)
4. Empty links (44.6% of homepages)
5. Empty buttons (28.2% of homepages)
6. Missing document language (17.1% of homepages)

We are clever people, in general 😉. Surely we can do better!

The documentation is definitely all out there and, let me tell you, it is not rocket science.

But why?

Unfortunately, we can only guess what the reasons behind such dyre report results may be.

Perhaps it could be due to time constraints, and being overstretched. Something has to give and, if it was ever in the roadmap, accessibility tends to be easy to drop, right?

If I was feeling generous, I may think it was due to lack of awareness. But this just smells of a lazy excuse. We are well informed folks, we have to be if we are any good at our jobs.

It could be lack of interest. There’s an adrenaline rush to cracking that gnarly bug, or getting your well researched and spiked architecture design approved. Double checking whether that form is accessible or that table understandable? Nah, boring!

It’s not all on us

OK, I have been a bit harsh. I agree.

Accessibility work is not only on us: graphic designers, copy writers, social media experts, product onwers, and ultimately company execs should also be on top of it.

In reality most of us know that accessibility is everybody’s work.

But as developers, we are the last link in the chain. We build the actual stuff that gets served to the general public and our customers.

Let’s take ownership

We can make a difference. We can change the outcome if we care enough to give it our attention.

Any software developer worth their salt would want to make sure 100% of their audience has a smooth, and enjoyable experience when using their product. Right?

According to a report from the UK House of Commons Library,

25% of the UK population report having a disability.

Yes, you’ve read correctly.

So, let’s stop ignoring the 25% of our audience who are disabled.

This 2025, put your time to good use by learning more about accessibility and aim to embed it into your daily workflow.

Your career, end users, and company’s bottom line will thank you for it.

Here’s to a happy, fruitful 2025! 🎉