The Future of Web Accessibility: 5 Trends To Watch

Web accessibility means everyone, including people with disabilities, can use your site without friction. Now more than ever, the pressure is on to get it right.

Digital accessibility lawsuits are already on the rise as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) tightens the rules for web content and mobile apps. Consumers expect better accessibility, too. In fact, 71% of users with disabilities will leave a site that isn’t accessible, representing a massive lost opportunity among the 1.3 billion people living with a disability globally.

If you haven't prioritized your digital accessibility, now is the time to start. Early movers maintain control, while laggards face lawsuits and rushed fixes.

These five web accessibility trends will define how brands approach digital experiences over the next few years. Learn the accessibility standards, legal shifts, and consumer expectations you need to know so you can stay ahead.

Trend 1: Stricter Legal Environments

The number of ADA-based lawsuits related to digital properties is increasing. There were more than 4,000 ADA cases in 2024 alone, and the enforceable standards are getting stricter.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized new Title II ADA regulations, adopting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 as the standard for compliance.

The first version of WCAG addressed basic accessibility concerns, such as using alt-text and having "sufficient" color contrast between text and background colors.

WCAG 2.0 gave more specific guidelines. For example, the minimum acceptable color contrast ratio was set at 4.5:1.

WCAG 2.1 represents a significant leap forward for digital accessibility with 17 new criteria for success, which include standards for web content on mobile devices. For example, buttons must be at least 44 x 44 pixels so they can be easily accessed via touchscreen.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) took effect in June 2025 and requires consumer-facing services across e-commerce, travel, and banking to hit this set of accessibility requirements.

Member-state authorities issue penalties, which can include fines up to 5% of the previous year's income and even prison sentences. And it doesn't matter if you're headquartered in the U.S. — the EAA applies to all e-commerce companies that sell in the EU.

“ADA lawsuits targeting e-commerce sites are on the rise," says Heral, Managing Director at a WooCommerce Agency. "Getting ahead of accessibility now means future-proofing your business while improving the overall shopping experience.”

Trend 2: Evolving Compliance Standards and New Technology

Although WCAG 2.1 is the official standard for ADA compliance, recommendations are constantly changing. WCAG 2.2 was finalized in late 2024, and WCAG 3.0 has a working draft as of September 2025. These updates look at the whole user journey across websites, apps, and other digital products.

With success criteria becoming more outcome-focused (for example, can people with disabilities complete tasks in digital environments?), these changes will impact grading criteria, which will change from pass/fail to a more comprehensive scaling model.

Technology shifts are pushing standards, too. Researchers are tracking how AI will impact digital accessibility. Future guidelines need to address virtual reality and immersive digital environments. Leading tech companies are following these trends to ship more built-in features. Apple, for example, announced Braille Access and a system-wide reading mode. It will even monitor its App Store, assigning Accessibility Nutrition Labels to product pages, so users can see how accessible an app is before downloading it.

Leaders should follow these compliance trends and anticipate what's coming so their companies can stay ahead of the curve. Alex Vilmur, Director of Development at Marcel Digital, has a clear message: “Prioritizing inclusivity from the start will future-proof your digital presence and make your brand more welcoming to all."

Trend 3: Accessibility Becomes Part of the Digital Roadmap

When you build accessibility into your digital roadmap, you can spread out the costs over time and avoid costly, last-minute fixes. Žiga Fajfar, Co-Founder of Flowout, shares, “Retrofitting accessibility later is significantly more expensive than integrating it during initial design and development. We often see clients spending 2–3x more to 'fix' accessibility after launch.”

Treat it the same way your team treats security and privacy. Accessibility should be part of the normal software lifecycle, not an afterthought. Aim for a repeatable, well-governed process that shows up during discovery, content modeling, design tokens, and quality assurance (QA).

When you build with accessibility in mind, you’ll create a product that works better for everyone.

Here are a few practical ways to get started:

• Set the same accessibility acceptance criteria for every project and workflow.
• Test with accessibility devices (e.g., on-screen keyboards and screen readers) during beta, not only after launch.
• Link fixes to business results. If you optimize content for on-screen keyboard users by loading the keyboard faster and making forms easier to fill out, you can reduce friction in the buying journey and improve your checkout completion rate.

Teams that plan for accessibility ship with fewer emergency fixes and face fewer legal notices. They also end up with a cleaner UI. Good constraints lead to better decisions, not fewer.

Trend 4: Consumers Expect Inclusive, Low-Friction UX

Accessibility ties directly to brand perception and inclusivity. People expect a frictionless user experience that works across any device, no matter how or where someone is using it. That expectation can impact product reviews and social posts, and it influences partner selection in B2B operations.

“Accessibility is about inclusion," explains Vilmur. "When we build web experiences, we need to be thinking about people with disabilities, aging populations, and users with situational limitations (like bright sunlight or temporary injuries)... [to ensure] that all users—regardless of ability—can navigate, interact, and engage with the content seamlessly.”

Accessibility also supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and corporate responsibility commitments. Meeting these EAA and U.S. Title II requirements lowers the chance of fines and lawsuits and opens your products to more customers.

Trend 5: Accessibility as a Competitive Advantage

Accessibility has moved well beyond box-checking. The strongest brands integrate it into user experience and trust signals. When sites are ADA accessible in practice, navigation gets simpler. That helps older users, people with temporary impairments, and anyone on a small screen with glare.

Successful brand implementations show that accessibility can build trust and strengthen reputation:

• Target moved accessibility into its operating rhythm after a well-known lawsuit with the National Federation of the Blind. After the case, Target committed to continuous improvements monitored through user testing. The matter became a reference point for retailers and showed that accessibility maturity is a leadership decision, not a one-off fix.
• IKEA publishes a clear accessibility statement and aims for WCAG 2.1 AA. The statement covers ongoing enhancements and work with experts and users with disabilities.
• Apple ships accessibility features at the OS level that influence what users expect from web apps. It demonstrates how mainstream platforms can reduce barriers and raise the quality bar for everyone.

Accessible design also supports search performance and mobile usability. Clear headings and descriptive alt text help crawlers and real people. Teams that clean up accessibility issues often see bounce rates fall, which improves conversion.

Treat accessibility as a core competitive advantage. Clear text, strong contrast, keyboard-friendly controls, and captions let more people finish tasks, which raises conversions and reduces support and rework.

Start Investing in Web Accessibility

Web accessibility has moved from an item on your compliance checklist to a core business strategy. Standards have evolved, and customer expectations are climbing.

Here's how you can get started:

• Map your current state to WCAG 2.2 and WCAG 3.0. Prioritize high-impact issues on key journeys.
• Build accessibility into component libraries and design tokens so your content scales.
• Track legislative timelines if you operate in the EU.
• Use accessibility devices when testing for core flows.
• Validate content structure: headings, landmarks, alternative text, and error messaging.

Always look for the business case behind each technical decision. Remember that accessibility can directly impact conversion and retention while lowering legal and PR risk.

Get Help From Proven Teams

If you need help getting started, partner with specialists who can help future-proof your digital presence. Work with a top-rated professional web designer on Clutch. You can choose from a vetted list of top providers that can ship accessible, high-performing sites without hiccups. Choose the right partner and make accessibility your competitive edge today.

About the Author

Jeanette Godreau Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Clutch

Jeanette Godreau crafts in-depth content on web design, graphic design, and branding to help B2B buyers make confident decisions on Clutch.  

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