Today, we do almost everything online, whether it’s checking our bank accounts, filling out healthcare forms, or using government services. But for millions of people with disabilities, these digital tools don’t always work the way they should.
To help fix this, the Australian Human Rights Commission has shared new guidelines that specify how websites, apps, and other digital services can be made easier for everyone to use—including people with disabilities.
These new rules aren’t just about following the law. They’re about helping organizations reach more people, give users a better experience, and show they care about inclusion.
If you run a business or service in Australia, these updates apply to you. In this blog, we’ll walk you through what’s new and why it matters. We’ll demonstrate how digital accessibility can help your business and provide guidance on how to start aligning with the new guidelines.
What’s new, and why it matters
The new guidelines provide a broader and more comprehensive explanation of what digital services are covered. They also address many new technologies and services that have emerged since the guidelines were first drafted. Finally, the guidelines strongly recommend that businesses align with WCAG 2.2.
Expanding the definition of “digital services”
Previously, it wasn’t always clear which digital tools had to be accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). While many services were interpreted as being covered, the new guidelines now clearly list the digital services that need to meet accessibility standards, removing any potential confusion. These include:
- Sites web
- Mobile apps
- Online forms
- Digital kiosks
- ATMs and self-checkouts
- PDFs and online documents
- Videos, emails, and even social media posts
Why this matters:
This update helps organizations clearly understand their obligations. They can plan accordingly and factor digital accessibility into that planning. By building accessibly from the start, they save money and time. The result is fewer barriers for people with disabilities and better digital experiences for everyone.
Covering new technologies and experiences
The updated guidelines specifically refer to newer tools like chatbots, voice assistants, and facial recognition, making clear that digital accessibility is the expectation here as well.
Why this matters:
Including these newer products and services sends a signal that digital accessibility must keep pace with technological innovation.
Aligning with global standards
The new guidelines strongly recommend that organizations align with WCAG 2.2, Level AA.
WCAG is based on four key principles that are often referred to by the acronym POUR:
- Perceivable: Can people see, hear, or otherwise experience the content?
- Operable: Can people navigate and use it, no matter how they interact?
- Understandable: Is the content clear and easy to follow?
- Robust: Does the experience work across different devices and assistive technologies?
The new guidelines also refer to Europe’s EN 301 549 standard, which demonstrates that Australia is aiming to stay in sync with global accessibility standards.
Why this matters:
Following WCAG 2.2 helps organizations do more than just check a box. It’s about creating digital spaces that everyone can use. It also makes it easier for international teams to stay consistent and compliant across regions.
Why is this good for business?
Prioritizing accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a competitive advantage.
Accessible digital experiences help organizations:
- Reach more users: Nearly 1 in 5 Australians live with a disability (ABS, 2022), representing a significant market segment.
- Improve SEO performance: Features like alt text, semantic HTML, and logical structure improve search rankings and discoverability.
- Boost customer satisfaction: Accessible design often leads to clearer navigation, better mobile responsiveness, and a smoother user journey for everyone.
- Reduce legal risk: As the AHRC sharpens its expectations, aligning with the new guidelines helps future-proof your business against potential complaints or legal challenges.
Accessible websites have been shown to load faster, rank better on search engines, and reduce bounce rates.
Practical steps to start aligning with the new guidelines
Here are four practical steps you can start taking today:
1. Run an accessibility audit
What to do:
Check your website, apps, forms, and other digital content for issues that could stop someone from using them—like missing form labels, poor color contrast, or tricky navigation.
How to do it:
Use free or paid tools like axe DevTools to scan your digital content. These tools highlight common digital accessibility issues, explain what’s wrong, and offer remediation guidance to clean up your code. Once you’ve found the issues, prioritize fixing the ones that are most critical and that create major barriers for individuals with disabilities. These might include issues such as keyboard traps or missing alt text. If you’re not sure how to fix them, you can bring in an accessibility specialist or reach out to vendors who specialize in accessibility testing and remediation.
2. Make your content work for assistive technology
What to do:
Update documents, images, videos, and social media posts so they’re usable by people who rely on screen readers, captions, or voice commands.
How to do it:
Steps like these help make content perceivable and usable for everyone:
- Add alt text to all images—describe what’s in the image and why it matters.
- For PDFs, use proper heading and tag structure so that screen readers can properly navigate them. Tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro can help.
- For videos, add accurate captions and transcripts. Tools like YouTube or Descript make this easier.
- When posting to social media, use plain language, PascalCase for hashtags (#ThisIsAnExample), and write image descriptions in the post. If the platform provides an option to add alt text, please do so.
3. Build accessibility into design from the start
What to do:
“Shift left” means thinking about accessibility early and throughout the development process. Catching and fixing accessibility issues when you’re planning and designing is much more efficient and effective than trying to implement fixes after development is done.
How to do it:
Steps like the following can help you make digital accessibility a regular part of your workflow:
- Start by adding accessibility checks to your design and development process, just like you would for performance or security.
- Use accessible design patterns such as large touch targets, good color contrast, and easy-to-read fonts.
- Include people with disabilities in your user research and testing. This could mean working with accessibility consultants, partnering with local disability organizations, or using remote usability testing platforms that include diverse participants.
- Make sure your team knows what accessibility looks like across different experiences, whether it’s a website, app, kiosk, or chatbot.
4. Train your teams
What to do:
Accessibility is a team effort. Everyone needs to understand how it fits into their role.
How to do it:
Even if you’re not an expert yet, you can implement digital accessibility training and support your teams with steps like these:
- Start with awareness training for everyone involved—designers, developers, marketers, content writers, and leadership.
- Use beginner-friendly resources like Deque University, free WCAG explainers, or short courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera.
- Identify one or two team members to go deeper and build internal expertise—they can become your accessibility champions.
- Make accessibility part of your onboarding, procurement processes, and project checklists.
If training feels out of reach, consider bringing in a partner to help build your team’s knowledge over time.
Making accessibility part of your digital strategy
At Deque, we help teams bake accessibility into every stage of the digital lifecycle—from planning and design to development, testing, and content updates. We combine expert guidance, practical tools, and expert training to help you build inclusive digital experiences in a way that’s scalable, sustainable, and human-centered.
We can assess your current digital products, show how they measure against the latest requirements, and help you prioritize what matters most, based on real user impact and business goals.
Schedule a free strategic accessibility consultation today.
