Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Why It’s No Longer a “Nice to Have”

A few years ago, accessibility often sat somewhere near the bottom of the to-do list. Something you’d “get to later”, after the shiny animations are added, the launch deadline met, or the big SEO tweaks.

But things have changed and are changing, faster than ever.

By 2026, accessibility and inclusive design aren’t just going to be nice extras, they will be part of what makes a website genuinely great. They’re good for users, good for business, and, honestly as a lot will agree, good for the web as a whole for everybody.

So, What Is Inclusive Design?

Inclusive design is all about creating digital spaces that work for everyone, not just people who fit a certain mould.

It’s about making sure your content, layout, and interactions work whether someone’s using a screen reader, tapping on a phone in bright sunlight, or browsing one-handed while holding a cup of tea.

This is because people are diverse. Their needs, devices, contexts all differ and the web should be built to meet all of them, not just the easiest ones.

If you want to dig deeper into this, Microsoft’s done a brilliant job of explaining it in their Inclusive Design Toolkit. It’s full of examples and ways to spot “exclusion” early in your design thinking.

Why Accessibility’s Become a Must-Have

There are a few big reasons accessibility has gone from optional to essential:

1. The law says so

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 covers websites and apps under “reasonable adjustments”. With the European Accessibility Act (2025) rolling out soon, the standards bar is only getting higher and higher.

So if your site or app isn’t accessible, it’s not just bad UX, it could land you in hot water legally too.

2. It’s good for business

There are over 16 million disabled people in the UK, according to Scope. Together, they represent spending power of over £250 billion — often called the “Purple Pound”.

When your site is accessible, you’re literally opening your doors to millions more customers. Who wouldn’t want that and miss out on that market opportunity?

3. It helps SEO and performance

A lot of the accessibility best practices, like alt text, clean HTML, and sensible heading structures, also make your site easier for Google to understand / read. So accessibility doesn’t just help users; it can help you rank higher too and something to really keep in mind.

4. It just feels right

Brands that care about inclusion tend to build stronger trust with audiences. It’s one of those things that people feel, your digital presence quietly says: “We see you. You belong here.” which will help with all aspects of potentially converting users.

From Checklist to Culture

The biggest shift happening right now isn’t just about ticking off WCAG guidelines, it’s about baking accessibility into every part of how we design and build our sites and apps.

Here’s what that looks like in real life:

• Designers pick colours and typefaces that everyone can read (try Stark or WebAIM’s Contrast Checker).
  
  
• Developers make sure every button and form can be reached with a keyboard and read by assistive tech (the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has great code examples).
  
  
• Writers keep content clear, concise, and meaningful, the GOV.UK content guide is gold for that.
  
  
• Project teams add “accessibility” to their definition of done, not just “if we have time later”, it’s a must.
  
  

Accessibility works best when everyone owns it, not just the dev who gets stuck fixing it at the end. It needs to be thought of from the very concept of the project you are undertaking.

Who’s Already Doing It Well

A few examples of companies doing this well and thinking of accessibility:

• BBC – Their Accessibility Guidelines are public, detailed, and genuinely brilliant.
  
  
• GOV.UK – They’ve nailed clarity and usability for a massive range of audiences.
  
  
• Lush – The cosmetics brand quietly made their site more inclusive, and saw better conversions as a result.
  
  
• Apple – Continues to lead the pack by designing accessibility features as part of the core product, not add-ons.
  
  

Getting Started (or Levelling Up)

You don’t need to rebuild everything overnight. Here’s a friendly way to start:

1. Audit what’s there — Tools like WAVE or axe DevTools can highlight quick wins.
   
   
2. Fix the easy stuff — Alt text, form labels, focus states, and heading structure go a long way.
   
   
3. Add accessibility to your next brief — make it part of the project scope, not an afterthought.
   
   
4. Test with real humans — Partner with groups like AbilityNet to see how your site performs for different users.
   
   

Each little step adds up,  and it can be easier than you think.

The Bottom Line

Accessibility isn’t just a box to tick or a buzzword to sprinkle into proposals. It’s about building a web that actually works for the people using it, all of them.

It makes your work better. It forces you to be clearer, cleaner, and more thoughtful about design, content and development.

So, as we move through 2025 and into 2026, let’s make accessibility and inclusive design not just “part of the process”, but part of our values. Because when we design for everyone, everyone wins at every level.

Handy Links & Resources

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
  
  
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2)
  
  
• Microsoft Inclusive Design Toolkit