Digital (in)accessibility down under: Why Australia lags behind New Zealand
New research from Infosys has revealed that Australia is behind New Zealand when it comes to ensuring all digital properties are accessible, such as enabling accessible mobile banking, digital citizen services or online learning experiences .
A survey of 650 medium and large business, public sector and not-for profit organisations revealed widespread lack of understanding of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – which either means they are not focused on digital accessibility or are failing to meet the WCAG standards.
It turns out that less than half (47%) of Australian organisations have made any significant accessibility improvements to online touchpoints for customers and employees, compared to around two-thirds (62%) in New Zealand.
The gap could be set to widen further with New Zealand having announced planned reforms under the New Zealand Accessibility Act, along with a new Ministry for people with disability, and collaboration programs between NGOs and the New Zealand government.
What’s more, there’s disparity between business sectors; with the report finding finance and consulting as well as IT and retail organisations were leading when it came to digital accessibility standards. Meanwhile education, NFP and health and welfare organisations had the greatest room for improvement.
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