At Something Digital 2025, accessibility is front and centre, and so it should be.

Accessibility shouldn’t be treated as a checkbox exercise. For too long, digital inclusion has focused on compliance with WCAG standards - important, but not enough. 

The real goal? Inclusive design that works for real people in real contexts. Whether you’re designing for neurodivergent users, screen reader users, or older Australians on mobile devices, accessibility must go beyond the guidelines - and start with empathy, usability, and continuous improvement.

Compliance Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

• WCAG is a baseline. It ensures your content is technically accessible, but it doesn’t guarantee a good user experience.
• “Passes WCAG” ≠ Easy to use. A site might pass automated tests and still frustrate people with cognitive impairments, vision challenges, or motor issues.
• Inclusive design means involving people with lived experience early - and often.
• “You don’t build accessibility for people. You build it with people.”

Practical Shifts Towards Inclusive Design

Start with people, not just personas

• Conduct user testing with assistive tech users.
• Build accessibility co-design into your research phase.

Don’t design in silos

• Bring content designers, developers, UX specialists and accessibility advocates together early.
• Run inclusive design sprints with diverse voices at the table.

Make accessibility part of QA, not a separate ticket

• Use tools like Axe or WAVE alongside manual checks.
• Train your team to spot common accessibility traps, keyboard traps, poor contrast, missing alt text, etc.

Push for accessibility in third-party systems too

• CMS, CRM, and forms providers should meet accessibility standards. Hold them to it.

Tools & Innovations Making a Difference

• Voice interfaces & micro-interactions: Provide alternative paths through your experience.
• Accessible data visualisation tools: Help all users engage with complex information.
• Content automation with inclusive defaults: Tools like Figma’s accessibility plugins and AI writing assistants can help maintain consistency.
• Easy Read content design: Not just for government, brands and organisations benefit too.

Let’s Make Accessibility Work for Everyone

At Integral, we believe accessibility isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about designing for dignity, participation, and independence.

The tools are available. The standards are known. The difference lies in how you apply them - with empathy, accountability, and the right partners.