Why Digital Accessibility Matters and How Ukrainian Businesses Can Become More Inclusive

29 December, 2025 y.

Intellias, a member of the Kharkiv IT Cluster, is one of the recognized leaders of the Ukrainian IT market. It is a global software engineering and digital consulting company that helps leading brands around the world implement large-scale innovations.

Oksana Moskva, Lead Product Designer at Intellias with over 10 years of experience, who specializes in integrating accessibility into the design and delivery of digital products.

Back in 2010, Netflix — then a rapidly growing company in the video streaming space — faced a lawsuit due to the absence of subtitles in its online library. At the time, the company claimed that accessibility laws only applied to physical spaces, not digital ones. However, the judge disagreed. This case created an important precedent: the digital world is a public space, and everyone deserves access.

This moment changed more than just Netflix. It demonstrated that ignoring accessibility means excluding millions of people. And in an interconnected world, exclusion comes at a high cost — both for users and for businesses.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1 in 6 people lives with some form of disability. If we add temporary or situational limitations — a broken arm, lost glasses, or difficulty reading a screen in bright sunlight — accessibility becomes a much more personal issue.

Digital Accessibility in Ukraine

Every accessible website, app, or digital service is built on a core standard — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG provides companies with a clear framework for building digital products that include all users.

In EU countries, digital accessibility is regulated by the European Accessibility Act, effective since June this year, which requires businesses to follow shared accessibility standards. In the United States, it is governed by the ADA. Violations of WCAG standards can result in fines.

Ukraine does not yet have a separate law on web accessibility. However, requirements arise from the Law of Ukraine “On the Principles of Preventing and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine,” which obliges companies to ensure accessibility of services for people with disabilities. These requirements apply to:

• Government agencies, which must ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities.
• Service-providing companies, which must ensure accessibility to avoid violating anti-discrimination laws. This includes sectors where access to information and services is essential, such as finance, education, healthcare, etc.

Additionally, on October 14, the Ministry of Digital Transformation published a draft law “On Digital Accessibility of Information and Communication Systems, Online Resources, and Electronic Services.” This signals upcoming changes for Ukrainian businesses with an online presence. All digital products will need to become inclusive environments, providing equal access to information and services for all citizens. Therefore, the question arises: what can businesses do today to prepare for the new accessibility standards?

 Digital Accessibility: Where to Start

At first glance, WCAG may seem overwhelming due to hundreds of criteria, but it is built on four simple principles, known as POUR:

• Perceivable: information must be available for perception. Subtitles help if you cannot hear; alternative text helps if you cannot see. No guessing, no loss of information.
• Operable: the interface must work for everyone. Websites should be fully navigable via keyboard, not just a mouse. Counters or timers should not block interaction.
• Understandable: content and navigation should be logical and consistent. Error messages must explain, not confuse. Menus should be predictable.
• Robust: technology evolves rapidly, so content must work correctly across all devices, browsers, and assistive technologies — today and tomorrow.

According to IBM Systems Sciences Institute, fixing accessibility issues after a product launch can cost 10–100 times more than addressing them during the design stage. For example, writing alternative text takes seconds, but missing it after publication becomes an expensive problem. Therefore, starting with an accessibility audit is recommended:

1. Assess the current state.

Use automated tools to detect basic issues (contrast, alt text), followed by manual tests to check the real user experience.

2. Prioritize high-impact fixes.

Focus on key actions: login, reading, form filling, purchases. Add subtitles, improve error messages, structure headings.

3. Create a long-term plan.

Include accessibility checks in every product update. Train your team. Involve users with disabilities in testing.

Accessibility audits often reveal more than just technical errors; they uncover opportunities to improve the digital experience for everyone. In one audit led by Oksana Moskva, inconsistent navigation and poor color contrast made using an app difficult for screen reader users. After changes — adding proper labels, improving contrast, and correcting focus order — the interface became faster and cleaner. The team recorded a 25% reduction in task completion time and increased user satisfaction.

How to Make Your Business Accessible — and Why Start Now

Accessibility is not just ticking boxes on a checklist. It’s about understanding how people actually use your product and designing with their experience in mind. Here is a short list to start the process, covering the most common accessibility issues found during audits. This list is not exhaustive; always refer to the full WCAG 2.1 AA requirements.

Design

• Maintain minimum color contrast (4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for icons).
• Do not use color alone to convey meaning.
• Use real text instead of images with text.
• Keep navigation and layout consistent across all pages.
• Ensure touch targets are at least 24×24 pixels with sufficient spacing.

Development

• Ensure full keyboard navigation without traps.
• Provide clear and descriptive alt text for all non-text elements.
• Follow a logical heading order (H1–H6).
• Make focus indicators visible and noticeable.
• Use semantic HTML; apply ARIA attributes only when necessary.
• Provide text error messages with instructions on how to fix them.

Testing

• Use automated tools such as Lighthouse, ARC Toolkit, Stark, or WAVE.
• Conduct manual testing with keyboard and screen readers like NVDA, VoiceOver, or TalkBack.
• Create and maintain accessibility reports using the W3C WCAG-EM Report Tool.

Inclusivity as a Growth Strategy

Teams that consider accessibility from the start avoid last-minute fixes, reduce maintenance costs, and increase user trust. The business impact is clear: when Tesco improved the accessibility of its online store, a £35,000 investment generated £13 million in additional annual revenue.

Inclusivity is becoming the standard. With tools like Axe, NVDA, or Lighthouse, accessibility testing is easier than ever. Accessibility is a bridge between technology and people, making our digital world more human, inclusive, and ready for the changes that may soon reshape Ukrainian business.

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