From Risk to Resilience: Bridging Legal Compliance and Technical Execution in Accessibility

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is an annual reminder of the role that inclusive design and equitable access play in creating a seamless digital experience for everyone. But accessibility isn’t just about empathy or compliance; it’s about reducing risk, increasing opportunity, and building systems that work for all users.

As organizations dedicated to advancing digital inclusion, we are partnering with Converge Accessibility to highlight the stakes and propose strong and sustainable solutions when it comes to accessibility in today’s workplace and digital ecosystem.

The cost of inaccessibility: Legal risks and business consequences

Digital accessibility is not just a best practice. It’s a legal necessity.
Organizations that fail to provide accessible websites and digital services risk lawsuits, financial penalties, and/or reputational damage. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one example of laws and regulations that require businesses and government entities to ensure their digital platforms are usable by people with disabilities. Around the world, laws like the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Accessible Canada Act (Canada) and the European Accessibility Act (EU) also mandate accessible digital experiences for both public and private sector organizations, with penalties for noncompliance.

Yet, many organizations fall short, often leading to accessibility-related complaints and litigation. For example, while some have initiated accessibility programs, few may have established mature processes that weigh the risks and ensure accessibility compliance operate side by side with other critical business needs like privacy and security. Mature processes are instrumental in making accessibility compliance organic, iterative, and fundamental to doing business.

Together with Converge we help customers assess risks and create and implement these processes. For example, Converge has helped several large cities, counties, and large retail and IT companies create risk-based accessibility programs, win leadership buy-in, and make accessibility a natural part of their organizations. Similarly, Atos supports and runs accessibility governance systems for government agencies and enterprises worldwide.

Legal risks: The rising tide of accessibility lawsuits

Increasing demand for digital accessibility is a positive sign for enterprises and their growing businesses, but inaccessibility lawsuits remain.

Customers, employees, and other individuals with disabilities can file complaints and lawsuits against businesses whose websites or apps contain barrier to access. With many rulings in favor of the plaintiffs, courts have consistently reinforced that digital spaces must be inclusive. High-profile lawsuits, like the over $6 million Target settlement, demonstrate that non-compliance can result in costly settlements, mandatory remediation, and long-term oversight.

Lost opportunities: A business case for accessibility

Beyond legal risks, poor accessibility translates into lost revenue and missed opportunities. Inaccessible websites, improperly formatted documents, and video content without captions alienate over a billion people worldwide with disabilities.

Failing to meet accessibility expectations can mean losing out on a large and growing consumer base and potential / existing employees in North America and elsewhere.

Businesses that prioritize accessibility not only avoid legal trouble but also expand their customer base, improve user experience, and enhance brand loyalty. Moreover, accessible design often leads to better usability for all users, fostering innovation and efficiency.

Sustainability and inclusion

How then can organizations avoid risks and leverage opportunities while staying compliant and inclusive?

Firstly, accessibility is both a legal obligation and a strategic advantage. Investing in inclusive digital experiences protects against litigation while unlocking a brand-new market potential.

As compliance requirements expand rapidly and enforcement becomes a mandate, all organizations need to treat accessibility as a core part of their digital and business strategies.

When you weigh the two, the cost of inaction is far greater than the investment required to build accessible platforms. As regulations evolve and enforcement strengthens, businesses that prioritize accessibility will lead the way in compliance, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

Embedding accessibility into the digital workplace

If legal risk and lost opportunities are the wake-up call, sustainable accessibility is the strategy for long-term impact. Alongside Converge Accessibility, we strongly believe accessibility should not be viewed or treated as a compliance box to check but as a core capability of a high-performing, inclusive digital workplace.

Accessibility isn’t a checkbox — it’s a business advantage that reduces legal risk, fuels innovation, and expands your reach.

Accessibility affects every part of the employee and user experience, from how we collaborate and communicate, to how we consume information and deliver services to our clients. For large organizations with complex IT ecosystems, accessibility can’t be solved by a single tool or policy. It requires systemic integration across platforms, processes, and culture.

Leading organizations and employers move from short-term fixes to sustainable accessibility frameworks that embed inclusion into the fabric of everyday work. This includes:

Creating an overarching accessibility plan that describes the organizational plan for existing and future technologies
Building accessibility requirements into digital procurement and design standards and establishing leadership buy-in and organizational support
Creating simple, repeatable, clearly documented processes outlining specific roles and responsibilities that can be refined as the program and technologies mature
Training employees and content creators in inclusive practices
Leveraging accessibility tools already available in platforms like Microsoft 365
Using computer analytics to understand an organization’s IT estate and how it supports accessibility and disability inclusion (or does not)
Measuring progress through clear metrics, such as document compliance rates, user feedback, and support requests resolved with accessibility in mind

These metrics and measures are essential, not only for tracking compliance but for continuously identifying opportunities to improve usability, productivity, and digital equity over time.

It is critical to note that only when accessibility becomes a core business capability — not a side initiative — it creates space for innovation.

For example, we're working with clients to develop new tools, governance models, and AI-enabled services that support accessibility across the enterprise. These innovations are not just solving current barriers but are opening up new ways to deliver digital services more effectively for everyone.

Accessibility Drives Business Value

Accessibility also creates tangible returns on investment, not just through risk mitigation, but by supporting key business drivers:

Inclusive talent retention by empowering all employees to thrive using digital tools
Improved employee productivity and satisfaction
Resilience and readiness, such as ensuring systems are robust for remote and hybrid workforces
Brand reputation and trust among clients, users, and the public

Atos and Converge support clients on their journey toward this broader vision. We help assess their accessibility readiness and maturity, develop strategies, and implement real-world improvements across digital platforms, from employee intranet portals to public-facing systems. The goal is not just to be aware of and comply with regulations but to build an inclusive and sustainable workplace that’s better for all.

The Accessibility Mandate: From obligation to opportunity

Digital accessibility is no longer a niche concern; it’s a defining issue of modern business, culture, and innovation.

As organizations navigate evolving legal expectations and rising user demands, an organization’s accessibility strategy must shift from a reactive fix to a proactive priority.

By partnering with Converge Accessibility, we combine complementary strengths to tackle this challenge. We understand that compliance is only the beginning —and that sustainable accessibility requires both technical depth and cultural commitment. Converge’s legal and regulatory expertise our digital workplace and enterprise transformation capabilities are helping organizations move from uncertainty to readiness, and from obligation to opportunity.

Whether you are responding to litigation risk, rethinking your digital employee experience, or designing new services to reach more users, our shared message is simple: accessibility done right benefits everyone. It drives innovation, unlocks talent, builds trust, and improves the digital experiences that define how we work and live.

This Global Accessibility Awareness Day, let’s move beyond awareness to action.

Start where you are. Build capacity. Set goals. And partner with experts who know how to help. Together, we can build a more inclusive digital future.

>> If you’re ready to take the next step — whether it’s an accessibility maturity assessment, a risk and readiness review, or a long-term roadmap — we invite you to Converge Accessibility or at Atos.

Posted on Mai 19, 2025

About Converge Accessibility

Converge Accessibility helps organizations navigate digital accessibility through risk assessment, strategic planning, legal compliance, and technical implementation. With expertise in making websites and digital content accessible to all users (including those with disabilities), Converge is uniquely balanced with legal and policy expertise. They work with businesses, government agencies, and other entities to create inclusive digital experiences while ensuring long-term success. Learn more about their work here (Convergeaccessibility.com).

About Atos Group

Atos Group is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 74,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos Group is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

The purpose of Atos Group is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.