Laws promote digital accessibility, but real inclusion is still a work in progress

Irish businesses urged to improve website accessibility as almost 90% of websites contain major barriers for people with disabilities 

Kyran O’Mahoney, CEO of Nexus Inclusion, says c. 90% of Irish websites still contain major accessibility barriers to people with disabilities.

Fewer than 4% of websites worldwide meet recognised accessibility standards for people with disability, with most Irish businesses listed among those failing to serve this market. 

The World Health Organisation reports that more than one billion people globally are living with a disability. One in four people requires some form of assistance to access the online world.

Research from Digital Business Ireland found that 49% of Irish businesses are unaware of the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), a landmark piece of legislation that came into force in June 2025.

Under the EAA, companies trading online in the EU are required to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) or risk financial penalties and legal repercussions.

Tech entrepreneur Kyran O’Mahoney, CEO of Nexus Inclusion, was born with less than 17% vision. He says the legislation has increased awareness of digital accessibility, but genuine inclusion remains a work in progress.

Nexus Inclusion is a B2B software solution that focuses on technology as an enabler for people of all abilities. This means that individuals with disabilities and neurodivergence can be independent with digital products such as websites, PDFs and apps.

Kyran O’Mahoney has held senior technology roles with Dunnes Stores, Ryanair, Vision Ireland (formerly NCBI) and AIB.

In this Q&A interview, Mr O’Mahoney outlines how the EAA and other initiatives can help companies to improve their understanding of digital accessibility.

How does having an EAA non-compliant website impact a company’s ability to connect with people with disabilities? (vision impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, neurodivergent or those with comprehension challenges)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires businesses that provide digital products in Europe to make them accessible.

In my view, it’s an unfortunate but necessary law.

Whether it’s through lack of awareness, lack of understanding of digital accessibility or simply lack of compliance, the statistics are kind of mind blowing. A year after in came into force in Ireland, it’s extraordinary how few organisations are actually compliant.

Based on our own testing, almost 90% of Irish websites still contain significant accessibility barriers, plus the WHO reports that fewer than 4% of websites globally are compliant. 

What is becoming more apparent is that if you want your business to be available to everyone, it needs to work for everyone. Otherwise, you’re making it difficult and ultimately excluding up to 25% of your potential customers.

The reason I say it’s unfortunate but necessary is that there are very few issues excluding as many people globally as digital accessibility. People with a disability struggle for financial independence, to get employment, to access education. Digital accessibility is one of the biggest barriers to resolving this.

Ireland and Europe have aging populations, and we are living in a much more technologically advanced world. I think we’re going through a period of profound change because the amount of people that need support accessing the internet is rising. At the same time, the stigma of having a disability has changed over the past couple of decades and people are more comfortable now saying, “Hey this doesn’t work for me.”

From a commercial perspective, that’s a huge opportunity. Any company in the world would want their digital products to be usable and accessible to everyone as a competitive advantage not just a compliance issue.

Do you advocate for employers to act on being more inclusive ahead of a need to comply?

The European Accessibility Act changed the law, but changing behaviour takes longer. Some organisations still see accessibility as a compliance exercise rather than a business opportunity or a social responsibility. In my experience most companies genuinely want to be inclusive.

The first step is making it clear that you are an inclusive employer. You have to say it upfront.

We believe in the strength of diversity. If everyone in a company thought the same way, said the same things and came from the same background, it simply wouldn’t be as successful.

Different opinions, perspectives and abilities make organisations stronger. They help businesses better reflect the customers and communities they serve.

What are the most immediate actions you would suggest to employers?

If you’re asking yourself, “Is my website or digital product accessible?” the truth is, it probably isn’t. Once you’ve recognised there’s an issue, burying your head in the sand is the worst thing you can do.

If you’re building a new digital product, the best approach is to build accessibility and compliance in from the ground up. If you already have a website or app, start with an assessment.

I see a lot of companies add an accessibility statement to their website and think of it as a catch-all. Others worry that accessibility is too big to tackle.

The reality is that accessibility isn’t something you do once, put the report in a drawer and forget about. It needs to be an ongoing commitment. The good news is that compliance is absolutely achievable, and we’re very focused on making accessibility practical and achievable.

In what ways do the companies you advise make better use of technology?

Nexus Inclusion’s AI-powered digital accessibility platform helps organisations identify and resolve accessibility barriers.

Most digital accessibility software can scan a website and identify issues. The difficult part is knowing how to fix them. That’s where our platform is different. Our tools provide detailed, practical guidance on resolving accessibility barriers.

Everything is contextualised. The platform explains why an issue exists, who it affects, and how to fix it. In many cases, it can even generate the code a development team needs to implement the solution.

Digital inclusion goes far beyond the obvious examples, like video subtitles or larger font sizes.

Small changes, such as breaking up large blocks of text or reducing distracting animations, can make a significant difference for people who are neurodivergent, as well as those with different learning styles or comprehension needs.

Even though we’re an automated software business, we still provide a lot of guidance and support. We work with our clients help them understand the barriers, address the challenges, and help them become compliant and more importantly inclusive.

Ultimately, we help organisations improve compliance and user experiences that work better for people of all abilities.