Building a business case for accessibility

A strong accessibility business case connects people’s access needs with the organisation’s service, delivery and compliance priorities. It explains the problem, the evidence available and the work needed to address it.

Technical standards provide a clear assessment target. Showing how barriers affect important tasks helps decision-makers understand the value and scope of the proposed investment.

Define the need

Identify a task people need to complete, such as submitting an application, managing an account or reading a statement. Describe who encounters barriers and how those barriers affect the experience.

Use assessment findings, support requests and user feedback to establish a baseline. Distinguish confirmed issues from assumptions that need further investigation.

Connect business priorities

Relate the proposed work to the priorities it can support:

• Customer and employee access — helping people complete important tasks independently.
• Delivery quality — identifying barriers, assigning changes and verifying improvements.
• Procurement — specifying supplier requirements and the evidence needed to assess them.
• Team capability — giving teams the skills and guidance to prevent recurring issues.

Include relevant compliance requirements in the scope. In the UAE, this includes the UAE A11y Code within the National Digital Accessibility Policy. Section 508 or European Accessibility Act requirements may also apply to particular markets. Clarify the standards and compliance scope before estimating the work.

Set out the proposal

A useful proposal connects a defined need with a clear scope, responsibilities and deliverables. Include:

• The service or journey, who is affected, and what evidence you have.
• The work proposed, what it produces, and who is responsible.
• The dependencies — supplier access, release dates, anything outside your control.
• How findings will be prioritised, implemented and verified.

Allow for both assessment and remediation. An initial review can clarify implementation effort, while supplier dependencies and technical unknowns may require further investigation. Record these assumptions so the budget can be reviewed as evidence develops.

Measure progress

Issue counts help track work, but need context. Several findings may come from one shared component, while a single barrier may prevent completion of an important task.

Report progress alongside severity, affected journeys and assessment coverage. At each review, ask:

• Have the important fixes been verified, rather than reported as done?
• Are new releases repeating the same patterns?
• Do the teams now have the guidance to avoid them?

These measures help leaders decide where further support is needed. Our strategy and governance service connects accessibility priorities with ownership, reporting and ongoing delivery.