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Despite decades of guidelines and standards, a significant portion of the web remains difficult to access for people with disabilities. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape by automating content analysis and correction, personalizing the user experience, and paving the way for multisensory interactions. IT directors, project managers, or CIOs: it’s time to integrate AI into your accessibility strategy to meet legal requirements, societal expectations, and the needs of an aging population, all while delivering an optimized experience for every user.
Why Digital Accessibility Has Become Strategic Today
Regulations are evolving rapidly while societal expectations intensify. At the same time, aging populations and the proliferation of mobile usage place accessibility at the heart of business challenges.
Strengthening Legal Obligations (EU, Switzerland, US)
Since the adoption of European Directive 2016/2102, public websites and apps must comply with WCAG 2.1 standards. This legislation mandates color contrasts, textual alternatives, and fully functional keyboard navigation. In Switzerland, the Federal Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (LHand) and its ordinance specify similar requirements for digital services of administrations and companies subject to public procurement.
In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is increasingly invoked to sue organizations whose digital interfaces are not accessible. Class actions are on the rise, with fines and remediation costs reaching into the hundreds of thousands of francs.
This regulatory tightening is most visible in the financial sector and public services, where controls and sanctions are systematic. Companies failing to comply not only risk penalties but also damage to their reputation.
Growing Social Pressure and Collective Actions
Social media amplify the voices of people with disabilities, turning an accessibility incident into an immediate viral backlash. A malfunctioning voice-command interface can quickly become the focus of online petitions and criticism.
At the same time, associations and digital rights collectives conduct investigations and file group complaints. In Europe, several major organizations have already been forced to overhaul their portals under threat of administrative blockages.
This social pressure also translates into tenders that now include accessibility as a selection criterion. Early adopters gain visibility and trust among partners and clients.
Aging Population and Widespread Mobile Usage
Switzerland has over 18% of seniors aged 65 and above, a figure set to grow in the coming years. Visual, auditory, or motor impairments therefore become strategic issues for capturing this clientele.
Moreover, usage is increasingly mobile: smaller interfaces, touch gestures, and varied contexts of use (lighting, movement). Temporary impairments—broken screens, occupied hands, noisy environments—affect a growing number of users every day.
In this context, a major Swiss retailer tested a dynamic enlargement tool for click zones on its mobile site. Thanks to AI algorithms, interactive areas adjust in real time to how the user holds their phone, reducing input errors by 35% among those over 60.
What AI Can Concretely Transform in Accessibility
AI opens new horizons: automation, personalization, and real-time adaptation. From generating captions to creating multisensory experiences, AI expands the scope of inclusion efforts.
Automatic Generation of Captions, Summaries, and Image Descriptions
Speech recognition and natural language processing solutions transcribe video dialogue instantly, producing synchronized captions. An AI algorithm can also automatically summarize long content, easing reading for people with dyslexia or visual impairments.
Image descriptions, long created manually, can now be generated by computer vision. Each image or illustration receives a detailed alt text, ensuring equivalent comprehension for screen reader users.
For a Swiss e-learning institution, this mechanism reduced the time spent on creating accessible content by 80%. Video courses now come with instant captions and summaries, boosting satisfaction for all learners.
Real-Time Translation and Adaptation (Audio, Visual, Text)
AI-based machine translation services now deliver subtitles comparable to a professional’s. Content can be adapted into over 100 languages, with style and phrasing tailored to technical or marketing contexts.
In audio interfaces, a voice assistant can rephrase responses for hard-of-hearing users, adding on-screen text or offering haptic feedback. This multimodality enriches the experience.
In multilingual settings—trade shows, international training, global platforms—these tools ensure consistent accessibility without additional localization costs.
Automated Website Audits
Intelligent crawlers continuously scan web pages to detect WCAG or RGAA violations. They generate detailed reports, prioritized by business impact and technical severity.
Paired with interactive dashboards, these audits enable progress tracking, fix planning, and ROI quantification for accessibility actions.
A Swiss industrial multinational implemented a daily automated audit. Detected anomalies feed directly into its ITSM tool, ensuring traceability and faster response.
Adaptive Interfaces for Temporary or Situational Impairments
Machine learning allows interfaces to detect noisy environments and automatically offer text transcriptions of audio notifications.
If ambient light is low, AI adjusts contrast and font size in real time to preserve visual comfort.
These contextual adaptations improve the experience for all users without manual configuration overload.
Edana: strategic digital partner in Switzerland
We support companies and organizations in their digital transformation
Limits Not to Ignore: Why AI Alone Is Not Enough for Optimal Accessibility
AI delivers considerable gains, but it cannot replace a comprehensive accessibility approach. Manual testing, quality data, and inclusive design remain indispensable pillars.
Manual Testing Remains Indispensable
Algorithms can miss nuances, such as coherence in descriptive language. User testing, by contrast, exposes the frustrations experienced by people with disabilities.
Validations with screen readers and assistive devices must be conducted regularly, especially during major redesigns or updates.
A Swiss financial institution maintained a panel of employees with disabilities to test every major portal version. These human insights corrected 12% of issues undetected by automated tools.
By combining AI with field feedback, organizations achieve a level of excellence unattainable by either approach alone.
The Quality of Training Data Is Crucial
Computer vision models are only as good as the annotated images that train them. A biased or insufficient dataset leads to inaccurate or discriminatory descriptions.
Algorithms must be fed representative data covering all profiles and use cases, ensuring diversity of genders, ages, and disability types.
Data governance—collection, anonymization, updates—must be rigorous to guarantee results that are reliable and GDPR-compliant.
Without quality data, AI can hinder rather than accelerate, generating costly errors that require manual correction.
Need for Accessible Design from the UX/UI Phase
Before integrating AI, information architecture and user journeys must be crafted to minimize entry barriers.
Structuring HTML code, providing semantic landmarks, and adopting accessible components (ARIA buttons, visual cues) ensure a solid foundation.
AI tools will enrich this base but cannot compensate for interfaces built without these principles.
A Swiss public services agency tested several AI widgets before realizing that unclear navigation elements limited adoption. A prior UX redesign tripled the effectiveness of the assistive tools.
Adopting a Contextual and Scalable Approach for AI-Centered Accessibility
Each accessibility project must be based on a tailored, modular, and secure strategy. Open source, hybrid modules, and scalable architecture ensure sustainable inclusion.
Favor Open Source Solutions and Avoid Vendor Lock-In
Open source libraries offer full flexibility and an active community to quickly address vulnerabilities.
By controlling code and dependencies, organizations ensure the longevity and security of accessibility tools without being subject to a single vendor’s roadmap.
This approach aligns with Edana’s culture, where each component is chosen for its ecosystem and ability to evolve without blockage.
Integrate Accessibility from the Digital Product Design Phase
Ideation and prototyping workshops should involve designers, accessibility experts, and AI developers to define native accessible components.
Technical and usability feasibility tests occur before development to avoid costly retrofits.
A Swiss logistics services company co-created its interfaces with a diverse user panel, guaranteeing WCAG compliance and easing later AI tool integration.
Implement Continuous Auditing and Monitoring
Beyond an initial audit, an automated monitoring system must continually check for accessibility regressions.
AI-generated reports feed a backlog that prioritizes fixes by business impact and technical criticality.
This process ensures iterative improvement and prevents compliance drift as features evolve.
Train Teams and Establish Agile Governance
Developers and project managers must understand accessibility challenges and master associated AI tools.
Regular training and inclusive code reviews maintain a high, shared skill level.
Agile governance, with sprints dedicated to accessibility topics, ensures transparent management and continuous value delivery.
Make Accessibility a Lever of Competitiveness
By combining regulatory compliance, AI’s potential, sound design practices, and agile governance, you create an inclusive and differentiating digital experience. When fueled by quality data and supported by human testing, artificial intelligence becomes a powerful accelerator of inclusion.
In a market where compliance is a prerequisite and user experience a key success factor, integrating accessibility from the outset and enhancing it with advanced technologies is a strategic choice. Our experts are here to help you define the most suitable solution for your context, prioritizing scalability, security, and open source.
