Accessibility as a Strategic Investment

In today’s economic landscape, governments have an acute responsibility to manage taxpayer funds efficiently, ensuring public services are not only effective but also equitable. This responsibility extends beyond providing essential services, to ensuring accessibility for all citizens, including those with cognitive, sensory, and mobility impairments. Inclusive services empower individuals to engage with government resources and represent themselves fully.

Governments increasingly recognise and enforce accessibility responsibilities through legislation. In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates digital accessibility within the public sector, while the UK’s Equality Act enforces similar requirements. Australia has its Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, a national Digital Inclusion Standard, and various state government standards.

This whitepaper presents a position on the societal benefits of digital inclusion, which extends beyond moral or legal responsibility:

By improving access to government services for individuals with accessibility challenges, society gains macroeconomic benefits, including better health outcomes and increased workforce participation. The long-term advantages to the community outweigh the short-term costs of meeting accessibility standards.

Recent statistics show that 5.5 million Australians, representing 21.4% of the population, live with disabilities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2024). This sizable segment relies on accessible digital services to remain socially, economically, and civically active. When accessibility is overlooked, significant barriers exclude individuals from essential services.

A macroeconomic perspective reveals that investing in accessible digital solutions offers substantial long-term returns. Enabling individuals with disabilities to fully participate in employment, education, and social programs reduces reliance on costly in-person services. Remote access to critical resources increases productivity and lowers societal costs related to unemployment and underemployment. Furthermore, prioritising accessibility can encourage the private sector to follow suit, fostering broader societal inclusion.

Designing with accessibility in mind benefits not only people with disabilities but also the broader population, enhancing inclusivity in healthcare, voting, and welfare services. For example, features like simple readable fonts and voice commands improve usability for many people for whom accessibility is not even a front-of-mind consideration.

Governments must also prepare for future demographic shifts, such as Australia’s ageing population. By 2071, 25% to 27% of Australians will be aged 65 and over, up from 17% in 2022 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023). This demographic shift will increase demand for accessible digital services, as age-related impairments like vision deterioration become more prevalent. The incidence of myopia (near-sightedness) in Australia is expected to rise from 36% to 55% by 2050 (The Australia and New Zealand Child Myopia Report 2022/23, 2022). These trends underscore the growing need for accessible digital solutions featuring larger text, higher contrast, and screen reader compatibility.

Short-term perspectives may lead governments to overlook long-term planning, but the immediate benefits of accessibility are undeniable. Accessible solutions foster higher user satisfaction, improved engagement, and better retention. With increasing reliance on technology, particularly among younger Australians and people with disabilities, accessibility facilitates more inclusive economic participation. Putting it another way, Governments should view accessibility as a strategic investment rather than a cost, considering the externalities of inaccessible services, such as increased healthcare costs, unemployment, and social isolation.

In DB Results experience, to be a leader in delivering Accessible digital solutions, Accessibility must be truly embedded in design, not treated as an afterthought. Yet we often see the latter. While many public sector organisations adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), compliance alone does not ensure true inclusivity. Often, efforts are minimal, driven by mandates rather than a genuine commitment to accessibility. Instead, accessibility should be an evolving process integrated at every stage of service development.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has been a leader in recent years in inclusive design in practice. While the NDIA’s accessibility approach surpasses that of most (if not all) Australian public sector entities, continuous innovation remains necessary to meet evolving needs.

For instance, Digital product teams must recognise that Artificial Intelligence is going to play an increasingly key role in acceleration of accessibility supports available for integration into digital solutions, including personalised user experiences which consider a user’s particular needs, automated interpretation of visual images and videos, AI-powered speech and gesture recognition and more.

DB Results has observed tangible benefits from prioritising accessibility in digital solutions. We recently developed a mobile app for a government agency with high accessibility as a “non-negotiable requirement”. Collaboration with accessibility specialists, designers, developers, testers, and most importantly – with real users with accessibility needs – led to an intuitive, user-friendly experience. The result was higher engagement, retention, and positive feedback from the user cohort. As noted by the ICT delivery executive overseeing the project, the focus on accessibility was unprecedented in his experience. He said:

The outcome achieved incredibly high user-sentiment – especially for a government app – and demonstrated that prioritising accessibility leads to superior user outcomes and greater social impact. User feedback underscored that embedding accessibility from the outset enabled individuals to engage more effectively, leading to increased satisfaction. Some users even cited improved quality of life!

Whilst that might sound like a blasé exaggeration to most of us, try to imagine for a moment a situation where for the first time in your life you are able to take control of one aspect of your daily existence that was previously reliant upon others to do on your behalf. You can now make decisions yourself and engage effectively with the Government for your needs, with the benefit of increased self-confidence and independence. This is what a focus on delivering great accessible digital solutions can achieve for people.

Contrast this delivery approach against one which ignores Accessibility or treats it as a tick-in-the-box afterthought; the outcome is not likely to hit the mark with many citizens because they simply won’t be able to use it!

In conclusion, prioritising accessibility in digital services is not just about compliance – it is a long-term investment with tangible societal and economic benefits. With Australia’s ageing population and rising number of individuals with disabilities, the demand for accessible digital solutions will continue to grow. Governments, businesses, and public sector organisations must recognise that accessibility enhances equity, inclusion, user satisfaction, engagement, and retention. By embedding accessibility into service design from the outset, Australia can foster a more inclusive society where all citizens can contribute meaningfully. Accessible digital services drive greater participation, improve quality of life, reduce societal barriers, and enhance economic productivity, ensuring a stronger, more connected future for all Australians.