Digital Accessibility
1 in 10
Number of San Franciscans (96,000) with a disability (SF Human Services Agency)
$13 Trillion
Annual disposable income including friends and family (The Return on Disability Group – Annual Report 2020)
95.9%
Homepages inaccessible to people with disabilities (2024 report by WebAIM)
As part of our mission to support the Disability Community, SFDBA is committed to raise awareness about accessibility and drive organizations to make sure individuals with disabilities have equal access to resources and tools that support their careers, self-employment, education and well-being. Additionally, accessibility can be a game-changer for your business, increasing your customer base and brand reputation.
Visual impairments: Wrong color combinations or font sizes can make it frustrating or even impossible to view a website
Epilepsy: Blinking or flashing elements can trigger a seizure
Cognitive impairments: Complex content, slang and abbreviations can generate confusing and frustrating experiences
Blindness: Navigation depends on a screen reader which describes what is being represented on the screen and can become inconsistent and useless with poor coding and lack of captions
Motor impairments: Navigation depends on keyboard for which most websites are not optimized and elements such as popups, forms or menus won’t respond to keyboard actions
Did you know?
The challenges for the Disability community in the digital world
To support your journey toward accessibility, we are partnering with AccessiBe and offer a FREE web audit.
Just enter your web domain, wait a few seconds and get an assessment of your ADA compliance and a report of suggested improvements.
Take a first step towards accessibility now!
On the benefits of Accessibility for All - Interview of Peter DeHaas, Executive Director of San Francisco Disability Business Alliance.
What next?
Off-the-shelf tools and custom in-house solutions?
Ultimately, the decision depends on the organization's specific needs, budget, and long-term accessibility goals.
Off-the-shelf tools are a cost-effective and quick solution for small businesses or those with simple websites. They offer basic accessibility fixes and automated ongoing monitoring. However, they are a generic and may not fully meet the needs of websites with specific accessibility requirements.
In-house solutions are far more tailored and thorough but come with higher upfront and ongoing costs. The efforts involve a manual implementation and maintenance that can slow down progress and require specialized knowledge. However, for larger businesses or websites with complex accessibility needs, they often are the better choice for full compliance and customizability.
A hybrid approach, where an off-the-shelf tool is used for quick wins and basic compliance while an in-house team handles complex issues, might also be an option worth considering.
Take a first step to offer access to all and grow your business