Accessibility issues are among the biggest – and often most overlooked – barriers to creating inclusive digital experiences.
From unreadable text to uncaptioned videos, many websites and digital products unintentionally exclude users with disabilities.
Although not intended, these issues have serious repercussions. They can frustrate, alienate, or completely block access for people who rely on assistive technologies, or have specific cognitive, visual, auditory, or motor needs.
The problem is, for teams without dedicated accessibility specialists, identifying and resolving these issues can feel overwhelming. The guidelines are extensive, the tools varied, and the consequences – ranging from user drop-off to legal risk – can be serious.
That’s why it’s critical to understand not only what accessibility issues are, but also how to find and fix them.
Whether you’re a web developer, UX designer, content strategist, or product manager, this guide will walk you through the most common accessibility problems and provide actionable strategies to solve them.
Addressing these barriers is more than just compliance: it’s a commitment to digital equity and better user experiences for everyone.
Accessibility issues refer to digital design and development problems that make websites, applications, or content difficult – or even impossible – for people living with disabilities to use. These barriers affect how users perceive, navigate, and interact with digital products, often excluding individuals who rely on assistive tools or alternative input methods.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
A user with vision loss may not be able to understand content without alternative text on images. A person with motor disabilities may be unable to complete a form that isn’t keyboard-navigable. And someone with hearing loss may miss essential information in a video that lacks captions or transcripts.
Accessibility issues are typically defined and assessed according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a global standard that outlines success criteria across four key principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (POUR). These principles help make sure that digital content works for the widest possible range of users.
Importantly, accessibility isn’t just about screen readers or visual impairments – it covers a wide spectrum of physical, sensory, and cognitive needs. That includes neurodivergent users, aging populations, and users in temporary situations (like navigating with one hand or reading in bright sunlight).
Accessibility issues don’t just affect code: they affect people.
Every barrier in your digital product can result in a user being unable to access vital information or complete a task. For the more than 1 billion people worldwide who live with some form of disability, these issues represent a significant obstacle to independence and inclusion, and, ultimately, opportunity.
But accessibility issues impact businesses, too. Exclusionary design leads to lost customers, reputational damage, and increased legal risk. In the U.S., lawsuits under the ADA continue to rise. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act is set to make digital accessibility a legal requirement for many B2C businesses in 2025.
The good news is, many accessibility best practices – like semantic HTML, descriptive alt text, and structured content – are also SEO best practices. So, fixing accessibility issues can actually improve your site’s search visibility and organic reach.
Think of it this way: accessibility isn’t just a legal or ethical checkbox. It’s a pathway to a better user experience, wider audience engagement, and long-term digital success.
Accessibility issues can appear in many forms – some are visual, others structural or interactive. Understanding the most common ones is key to building inclusive digital experiences.
Let’s explore the top barriers users face and how they can be addressed.
| Issue ❌ | Details 🔎 | Solution ✅ |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of alt text | Alt text is fundamental for users who rely on screen readers to interpret visual content. Without it, blind or low-vision users may miss important information, especially if the image is getting across a call to action or critical context. | Always add concise, descriptive alt text to informative images. Just remember, failing to comply can lead to expensive lawsuits. |
| Poor color contrast | Low contrast between text and background makes it hard to read, especially for users with color vision deficiencies or older adults. | Use tools like the WAVE Accessibility Tool or axe DevTools to test color contrast ratios. Aim for a minimum ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text. |
| Inaccessible forms and input fields | Forms are a common point of failure for accessibility. Issues include missing or improperly associated labels, unclear error messages, and broken tabbing behavior. | Always use label tags correctly, make sure there’s a logical tab order, and provide clear, text-based error messages that are programmatically linked to input fields. |
| Missing or incorrect header structure | Screen readers rely on heading hierarchies (like <h1> to <h6>) to navigate pages. If headings are skipped or misused (e.g., using <div>s styled like headers), users lose context. | Use headings to reflect the logical structure of content. Only one <h1> per page, followed by nested subheadings in order (e.g., <h2>, <h3>). |
| Keyboard navigation issues | Many users can’t use a mouse and rely on keyboard navigation (e.g., the Tab key) to move through content. Common issues include missing focus indicators or getting “stuck” in navigation traps. | Make sure all interactive elements (links, buttons, inputs) are accessible via keyboard and that visible focus styles are preserved. |
| Videos with transcripts or captions | Deaf or hard-of-hearing users can’t access video content without captions. Without transcripts, users also lose the ability to scan or reference audio-based content. | Provide accurate closed captions for all spoken content and transcripts for audio or multimedia assets. |
| Inconsistent or confusing navigation | Navigation that’s inconsistent across pages – or overloaded with poorly grouped content – can disorient users, especially those with cognitive or learning disabilities. | Use consistent layouts, clear menu structures, and predictable interactive behaviors across all screens and breakpoints. |
| Auto-playing media without controls | Media that auto-plays with sound can disrupt screen reader users and trigger sensory overload, especially for neurodivergent individuals or users with ADHD. | Avoid auto-play where possible. But if used, make sure users have accessible options to pause, stop, or mute the media immediately. |
Behind every accessibility issue is a person being excluded.
These aren’t abstract usability flaws – they’re barriers that can deny access to essential services, opportunities, and participation in digital life.
Imagine a blind user relying on a screen reader to shop online. If product images lack meaningful alt text, or navigation menus don’t follow a logical heading structure, it becomes nearly impossible to complete a purchase independently.
A deaf user visiting a government site to access public services may miss critical information if videos lack captions or if no transcripts are available for audio content.
For someone with ADHD or a cognitive disability, auto-playing media, cluttered layouts, or confusing forms can create sensory overload or cognitive fatigue, forcing them to abandon tasks halfway through.
Also, a user with mobility impairments who navigates via keyboard or switch device may be unable to fill out forms or interact with content if the tab order is broken or focus indicators are missing.
These examples illustrate how inclusive digital design isn’t just a technical standard – it’s a human right.
Solving accessibility issues starts with awareness and ends with systematic action. Whether you’re improving an existing product or starting from scratch, following a consistent workflow makes accessibility scalable and sustainable.
Begin by running an accessibility audit on your website or app. Use automated tools like axe DevTools or WAVE to fix the most common issues – like missing alt text, low contrast, or unlabeled form fields.
But remember: automation only catches around 30–40% of accessibility problems.
Manual testing is essential to uncover structural and experiential issues:
Rather than try and fix everything at once, concentrate on triaging issues based on severity and user impact – starting with high-traffic or pages that are critical for conversion.
Tackle foundational issues like:
Make sure you train your team. It sounds obvious, but as we know, it’s not always a focus point until you know how important it is.
You should add accessibility checks to your QA process, building and documenting inclusive design patterns from the start.
Choosing the right tools can significantly streamline your accessibility work. While no single solution catches everything, combining automated checks with manual testing will help uncover most major issues.
WAVE is a free browser extension that visually highlights accessibility problems on your webpage, like missing alt text, low color contrast, and structural errors. It’s beginner-friendly and great for quick audits.
axe by Deque Systems is a powerful developer tool that integrates with browser DevTools. It provides detailed diagnostics and code-level suggestions, making it ideal for developers embedding accessibility in their workflow.
Built into Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse runs automated audits for performance, SEO, and accessibility. It assigns an accessibility score and surfaces common issues like missing ARIA labels or small tap targets.
Remember, no tool is a silver bullet – but together, they help create a clear path to digital inclusion.
Accessibility issues are more than just technical bugs – they’re barriers that prevent millions of people from fully participating in the digital world.
From missing alt text to poor color contrast and broken keyboard navigation, these problems can affect user experience, SEO performance, and legal compliance.
But with the right knowledge and tools, your team can tackle these issues effectively, one fix at a time. Start with a thorough audit, prioritize critical pages, and embed accessibility into your design and development process moving forward.
You’ll not only create a better experience for users with disabilities, you’ll build more resilient, inclusive, and future-proof digital products for everyone.