A digital accessibility platform is software that helps organizations manage accessibility compliance for their websites, mobile apps, and other digital assets. Platforms come in two main types: scan-based platforms that use automated scans as a basis for data and issue tracking, and audit-based platforms that use accessibility audits .
| Platform Type | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Scan-Based Platform | Uses automated scan to flag accessibility issues. Extremely limited and only reliably flags 13% of WCAG 2.2 AA issues. Partially flags 45%. Quick and provides for scanning large volumes of pages. |
| Audit-Based Platform | Foundation is built on accessibility audit reports that identify all accessibility issues. This provides for complete WCAG conformance coverage, but requires an accessibility audit to be completed. Accessible.org accessibility audits typically start at $1,500. |
| Project Management | Both types help you track issue status, assign work to team members, and monitor progress toward WCAG compliance. |
| Team Collaboration | Centralized workspace where developers, designers, and project managers can work together on accessibility remediation. |
Table of Contents
Digital Accessibility Platforms
What is an accessibility platform?
Digital accessibility platforms serve as project management tools specifically designed for improving accessibility and tracking progress. They replace spreadsheets with organized dashboards that streamline tracking and help teams remediate accessibility issues efficiently.
These platforms address a common problem in accessibility work. When organizations receive audit reports or scan results, there is a pain point in organizing the remediation process. Some difficulties when working from spreadsheets:
- There are no analytics, data visualizations, or reports for tracking progress
- File updates can be problematic unless using Google Sheets or Excel on the cloud
- Communication takes place over email, Slack, or other channels
- Issue assignment to team members isn’t streamlined
- All changes must be made inside spreadsheet data cells
- No tools are available inside of the spreadsheet to make remediation easier
A digital accessibility platform centralizes this work. It provides a single location where all accessibility issues live, team members can see their assigned work, and managers can track progress toward compliance deadlines.
Scan-Based Accessibility Platforms
Scan-based platforms use automated tools to identify accessibility issues on websites and applications. These tools crawl through digital assets and flag potential problems based on programmed rules that check for WCAG violations.
The scanning process happens quickly. Most platforms can analyze entire websites within hours and generate reports showing found issues. This speed makes scan-based platforms attractive for organizations wanting immediate feedback on their accessibility status.
However, automated scanning has significant limitations. Scans only flag about 25% of WCAG 2.1 AA issues. They miss context-dependent problems that require human judgment to evaluate properly. For example, scans cannot determine if alternative text accurately describes image content or if page structure makes sense to screen reader users.
Scan-based platforms typically offer these features:
- Automated issue detection across multiple pages
- Scheduled scans to monitor ongoing compliance
- Integration with development workflows
- Basic remediation guidance for common issues
- Progress tracking based on scan results
The fundamental problem with scan-based platforms is that progress metrics reflect incomplete data. Organizations may believe they are achieving WCAG conformance when significant issues remain undetected.
Audit-Based Accessibility Platforms
Audit-based platforms work with comprehensive accessibility audit reports conducted by human experts. These audits include manual screen reader testing, keyboard testing, and detailed evaluation of all WCAG success criteria.
Professional accessibility audits identify all accessibility issues present on digital assets. Auditors test with actual assistive technologies, evaluate content in context, and document issues that automated tools cannot detect. This thorough approach ensures complete coverage of WCAG requirements.
When organizations receive professional audit reports, they typically get Excel spreadsheets containing detailed information about each accessibility issue. These reports include the specific problem, affected code, recommended remediation, and relevant WCAG criteria.
Audit-based platforms take these comprehensive reports and transform them into manageable project workflows. They extract all audit data and organize it within project management interfaces designed specifically for accessibility work.
Key features of audit-based platforms include:
- Direct upload of professional audit reports
- Complete issue tracking from audit to validation
- Team collaboration tools for distributed remediation work
- Progress analytics based on actual WCAG compliance status
- Integration with validation processes to confirm fixes
The advantage of audit-based platforms is accuracy. All tracking, analytics, and progress reports reflect the true accessibility status of digital assets. Organizations can confidently work toward genuine WCAG compliance rather than partial coverage.
Audit-based platforms also support the full remediation lifecycle. Teams can track issues from initial identification through remediation to final validation by accessibility experts. This complete workflow ensures that accessibility work reaches actual compliance rather than stopping at incomplete fixes.
The only audit-based platform we know of is Accessibility Tracker.
Core Platform Features
Digital accessibility platforms share common functionality regardless of their underlying approach. Understanding these features helps organizations evaluate which type of platform meets their needs.
Issue Management
All platforms provide centralized issue tracking. They display accessibility problems in organized lists or dashboards, showing details like affected pages, WCAG criteria, and remediation priority. Team members can filter issues by status, assignment, or problem type to focus their work effectively.
Issue management includes status tracking. Problems move through stages like “not started,” “in progress,” “completed,” and “validated.” This progression helps teams understand project status and identify bottlenecks in the remediation process.
Team Collaboration
Platforms assign issues to specific team members based on expertise. Developers receive coding problems, designers handle visual issues, and content editors address text and media accessibility. This distribution allows parallel work that accelerates project completion.
Collaboration features include commenting systems where team members can ask questions, share solutions, and document decisions. All communication stays attached to specific issues, preventing information from getting lost in email threads or meetings.
Progress Tracking
Digital accessibility platforms generate analytics showing project advancement. Dashboards display completion percentages, issue counts by status, and time-based progress trends. These metrics help project managers understand pace and resource needs.
Progress tracking becomes particularly important for organizations facing compliance deadlines. The European Accessibility Act and ADA requirements create time pressure that makes accurate project monitoring essential.
Remediation Support
Most platforms provide guidance to help teams fix accessibility issues. This support ranges from basic explanations of WCAG requirements to detailed code examples showing proper implementation.
Advanced platforms incorporate AI tools that translate technical accessibility language into practical remediation steps. These tools help team members who are new to accessibility understand what needs to be done and how to implement compliant solutions.
Integration Capabilities
Digital accessibility platforms often connect with existing development and project management tools. Scan-based platforms typically integrate with Jira for issue tracking, Slack for team communication, or continuous integration systems for automated scan monitoring. Audit-based platforms are more complete and provide for issue tracking within the dashboard.
Integration reduces workflow friction by allowing teams to work within familiar tools while maintaining centralized accessibility management.
Choosing Between Platform Types
The choice between scan-based and audit-based platforms depends on organizational needs and compliance objectives. Each approach serves different situations and requirements.
Scan-based platforms work well for organizations wanting quick overviews, scans for hundreds of pages, or continuous monitoring capabilities. They provide immediate feedback and integrate easily with development processes. However, because scan-based platforms use automated results, they are extremely limited. Scans only reliably flag 13% of WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria.
Audit-based platforms are best for organizations who want to track progress for full WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA conformance. Audit-based platforms require an expert audit report as input and provide accurate tracking toward full WCAG conformance that aligns with compliance. This approach works best when legal compliance or comprehensive accessibility commitments drive the project.
Organizations should consider their accessibility objectives when selecting platform types. If the goal is complete WCAG conformance for ADA or EAA requirements, audit-based platforms provide the necessary foundation. If the goal is general accessibility improvement or continuous scan monitoring, scan-based platforms may suffice.
Platform Integration with AI Tools
Modern accessibility platforms increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence to support remediation work. AI assists with translating technical WCAG language into understandable explanations and provides code examples for common accessibility issues.
Some platforms integrate with general AI tools like ChatGPT to answer accessibility questions. However, specialized accessibility AI tools understand the context of specific audit issues and provide targeted guidance without requiring manual prompt creation.
AI integration helps teams learn accessibility principles while working on remediation. Instead of stopping work to research WCAG requirements or seek external consultation, team members can get immediate answers within the platform interface.
The Role of Professional Audits
Regardless of platform choice, professional accessibility audits remain essential for comprehensive WCAG conformance. Automated scanning cannot replace human evaluation of complex accessibility requirements.
Professional audits provide the foundation for accurate accessibility management. They identify all issues that need remediation and establish baseline measurements for compliance progress. Without comprehensive audit data, organizations cannot reliably track their path to WCAG conformance.
Even organizations using scan-based platforms benefit from periodic professional audits. These evaluations reveal issues that automated tools miss and provide quality assurance for accessibility efforts.
FAQ
What’s the difference between scan-based and audit-based accessibility platforms?
Scan-based platforms use automated tools that flag about 25% of accessibility issues instantly, but are very limited and provide incomplete results. Audit-based platforms use audit reports that identify all accessibility issues as the foundation for the platform data.
Can digital accessibility platforms replace professional accessibility audits?
No platform can replace professional audits. Scan-based platforms are very limited and only flag a fraction of accessibility issues, while audit-based platforms use the audit report itself as the basis for all progress reports, analytics, and data visualizations.
How do AI tools work in accessibility platforms?
AI tools in accessibility platforms help translate technical WCAG requirements into understandable language and provide remediation guidance. They work best when integrated directly into the platform with context about specific accessibility issues rather than requiring manual prompts like general AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Which type of platform is better for ADA and European Accessibility Act compliance?
Audit-based platforms provide better support for legal compliance requirements because they work with comprehensive issue identification. Scan-based platforms cannot ensure complete WCAG conformance due to their coverage limitations, making them insufficient for full ADA or EAA compliance efforts.
Do accessibility platforms integrate with existing development tools?
Most platforms offer integration capabilities with common development and project management tools like Jira, Slack, and continuous integration systems. These integrations reduce workflow disruption by allowing teams to work within familiar tools while maintaining centralized accessibility management.
