14 December,2025 11:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Junisha Dama
The BB100 State of Digital Accessibility in India 2025 report revealed that over 64 per cent of accessibility errors were at the most basic level. Pic/iStock
I have given up on seat selection on airline websites. I just adjust to whatever seat I get," says Preetham Sunkvalli, a corporate executive and an inclusivity advocate. Seat selection is not accessible to screen readers, forcing him to rely on a sighted person for help. "Websites or apps that require uploading documents, or filling out forms with sensitive information, are things that I can only do with someone sighted, whom I completely trust," he says.
India prides itself on being one of the world's largest digital economies. But a recent report published on November 10 by BarrierBreak in collaboration with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), says otherwise. The BB100 State of Digital Accessibility in India 2025 report analysed 100 of the country's most visited websites across government, e-commerce, education, healthcare, news, travel and tourism, airlines, and entertainment sectors, finding that over 64 per cent of accessibility errors were at the most basic level.
In the digital age, this is not a fringe problem, but a mainstream failure. While the Internet continues to expand every day, its access is not for all. "It disenfranchises me," says Sunkvalli, frustratedly adding, "I am a paying customer as much as any other user. Most people with disabilities are a lot more tolerant, but we shouldn't have to be."
Basic errors like poor contrast, missing alt text, broken keyboard navigation, and weak screen-reader support should have been fixed long ago. Digital accessibility has been mandated since 2016, backed by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, India's commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and decades of disability rights law. In April 2025, the Supreme Court went further, declaring the Right to Digital Access a fundamental right under Article 21.
"From 2016 to 2025, we are now nine years into the law, right? I think it's time that India starts to take the law a lot more seriously. Specifically in the last two years, we have seen that the government has now started to promote, as well as advocate, that organisations ensure accessibility. For us, it's important to realise that the RPWD Act talks about not only the government but also the private sector doing this," says Shilpi Kapoor, CEO of Barrier Break, a for-profit social enterprise.
She says, "I have been advocating for this since 2004, so for me effectively it means putting in some monitoring." As the government alone cannot monitor accessibility standards, Kapoor felt that civil society needed to intervene. But as this is a technical skill set, her organisation has been leading the charge with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).
The report found improvement in the public sector compared to last year, though hundreds of errors still exist per homepage. The private sector, especially entertainment, Indian OTT and e-commerce platforms, are among the worst.
Statistics aside, accessibility ultimately comes down to who designers imagine as their user. Ankur Verma, founder of GainTailwind Consulting, says getting founders to prioritise accessibility is still a battle. "If your design isn't simplifying the experience, what kind of expert are you?" he asks.
The larger issue, he adds, is that most designers aren't trained for accessibility. "They're taught to prioritise business goals," with little exposure or empathy. Accessibility should begin at the research stage, not as an add-on.
Business owners often say accessibility is expensive, but Verma says it's mostly "time cost, not money." Priyam Chugh, founder of Foot In The Door, points to third-party accessibility plugins as an option for larger companies. And does accessibility ruin aesthetics? Both designers say they have seen countless websites that prove otherwise.
Kapoor says that an international non-profit, the Information Technology Industry Council, has developed a standardised Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) that can be used to report how digital products and services conform to accessibility standards.
Now that India recognises the Right to Digital Access, are clearer standards coming? Kapoor says yes. "Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) is a standard. Currently, in the world, there is only one real organisation of accessibility professionals, the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). The government has said you can get your websites audited by an IAAP-certified person." Platforms can also self-audit using free tools, or use third-party auditors.
Accessibility benefits everyone, not just disabled users. Kapoor says features like voice-to-text, captions, keyboard navigation and adjustable contrast weren't designed only for abled bodies. "Yet, we too use these features. The disabled community is tired of saying, âWe are not charity.' They are consumers, and add to the economy," she says.
So why do platforms still get it wrong? Aesthetics over usability, says Chugh. Apple's "glass morphism" design looked great, he says, but "people are now copying it, without the option to change contrast."
Sunkvalli says that for news, he needs apps that have a clean or basic design. "News sites have too many pop-up ads, which make it tough to access. For most things, there's an international counterpart [like Uber over Ola or Amazon over Flipkart] which has better accessibility, so I get by. But of course, they can be improved. Recently, Blinkit and Zomato invited people with disabilities to understand how they could improve their user experience. I really appreciated that. We need companies to do more of that," he says.
What is missing is the will and an understanding that accessibility is not a bonus feature; it's a right. Verma says that this mindshift can only come in through self-awareness and better training.
Chugh says, "My biggest motivation to learn design was because the elders in my family would need help with their phones." He adds that inclusive design and inclusive tech should be an in-built thought. "The internet is for everyone and should be convenient for everyone. Designers need to understand that people use their design and are affected by it. And, it should be taken up as a responsibility," he concludes.
India isn't starting from scratch, global playbooks already exist.
The United States: Its Section 508 mandate requires accessible digital services for government, public spaces, banks, and universities. Major lawsuits have pushed private companies like Domino's and Netflix to comply.
United Kingdom: Has an Equality Act and Public Sector Accessibility Regulations that make accessibility mandatory, with annual compliance reporting.
European Union: Web Accessibility Directive and the new European Accessibility Act (2025) require accessible websites, apps, ATMs, e-commerce, banking, and transport systems.
Australia & New Zealand: Strong WCAG-based standards for all government websites, with penalties for non-compliance.
Canada: Accessible Canada Act (2019) enforces digital accessibility across federal sectors.
