Your customer-facing website is fully accessible. Your marketing materials meet WCAG standards. Your storefront has a ramp. But when a new employee tries to access your HR system with a screen reader, nothing works. The disconnect isn’t unusual. It’s remarkably common.
Internal systems are where accessibility commitments often crumble. These are the tools employees use daily: project management software, communication platforms, payroll systems, document repositories, training modules. When these systems aren’t accessible, you’ve built a workplace where disabled employees can’t actually do their jobs, regardless of what your external accessibility statement claims.
Why internal systems get overlooked
The logic seems reasonable at first. Customer-facing properties need to be accessible for legal and ethical reasons. Internal systems are different. You can just help people individually if they need it, right?
This thinking fails on multiple levels. First, it assumes you know who needs accessibility before they start working for you. You don’t. Disability disclosure is optional, and many people don’t disclose until after they’re hired. Some people acquire disabilities during employment. Others have situational needs (a broken arm, temporary vision problems) that benefit from accessible systems.
Second, “helping people individually” creates a separate, unequal system. When one employee needs IT to manually extract data from an inaccessible dashboard while others access it directly, you’ve made that person dependent on others’ availability and goodwill. That’s not accommodation. That’s exclusion with workarounds.
Third, inaccessible internal systems create practical barriers to hiring and retaining disabled employees. If your entire workflow runs through inaccessible tools, you either can’t hire people who need accessibility, or you force them into positions where they can’t fully participate. Neither option reflects well on your commitment to inclusion.
Common accessibility failures in internal systems
Project management tools are frequent culprits. Many popular platforms have keyboard navigation issues, poor colour contrast, or missing alternative text on visual elements. When your entire team tracks work through a system that’s unusable with assistive technology, you’ve excluded disabled employees from core workflows.
Communication platforms present similar challenges. Chat tools with poor screen reader support make it impossible for blind employees to participate in real-time conversations. Video conferencing without quality captioning excludes deaf and hard of hearing employees. These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re barriers to basic job functions.
Document management systems often fail accessibility in multiple ways. Scanned PDFs without text recognition. Documents created without proper heading structure. Image-heavy presentations with no alternative text. File sharing systems that aren’t keyboard accessible. Each failure makes it harder for disabled employees to access information they need.
Training and onboarding materials deserve particular attention. When mandatory training modules aren’t accessible, you’ve created a situation where disabled employees literally cannot complete job requirements. This puts them at risk and puts your organization in potential legal jeopardy.
The procurement problem
Many internal accessibility failures start at procurement. When choosing software, accessibility often isn’t part of the evaluation criteria. Sales demonstrations don’t include screen reader testing. Contracts don’t include accessibility requirements or commitments to meeting standards.
This needs to change. Before purchasing any internal system, evaluate its accessibility. Request a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) from vendors. This document outlines how well the product conforms to accessibility standards. Test the system with actual assistive technology. Include disabled employees or accessibility specialists in evaluation processes when possible.
Build accessibility requirements into your procurement policies. Make WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance (at minimum) a standard requirement for any software purchase. Include contract language that holds vendors accountable for maintaining accessibility. Plan for what happens if a vendor fails to meet accessibility commitments.
When vendors claim their product is accessible, verify those claims. “Accessible” means different things to different people. Some vendors consider basic keyboard navigation sufficient. Actual accessibility requires comprehensive support for various assistive technologies and disabilities.
Fixing existing systems
If your current internal systems aren’t accessible, you have work to do. Start with an audit. Which systems do employees use daily? Which are required for job functions? Which contain critical information? Prioritize based on impact and frequency of use.
For each system, evaluate current accessibility. This might require hiring accessibility consultants or working with disabled employees who can identify barriers. Don’t guess about accessibility. Test with real assistive technology and real users.
Some systems can be configured for better accessibility. Adjusting colour schemes, enabling keyboard shortcuts, or reorganizing navigation might improve usability without replacing the entire system. Explore these options before assuming you need to switch platforms.
For systems that can’t be made accessible, develop a replacement plan. This won’t happen overnight, but it should happen. Budget for accessible alternatives. Set timelines. Communicate plans to employees who are currently struggling with inaccessible systems.
Creating accessible documents and content
Even with accessible systems, the content within those systems needs to be accessible. That means training employees on accessibility basics: proper heading structure in documents, alternative text for images, colour choices that provide sufficient contrast, captions for videos.
This training shouldn’t be optional or limited to specific roles. Everyone who creates internal content should understand accessibility basics. Build accessibility into your templates and style guides. Make it the default, not an extra step.
Consider creating accessibility champions within teams. These are people with deeper accessibility knowledge who can answer questions and review materials. They’re not solely responsible for accessibility, but they help maintain standards and support colleagues.
The business continuity argument
Beyond inclusion, accessible internal systems improve business continuity and flexibility. Accessible systems work better for everyone during situational limitations (injuries, illness, working in challenging environments). They’re easier to use on different devices. They typically have clearer navigation and information structure.
When you build accessibility into internal systems from the start, you’re also building in resilience. Systems that work for diverse users tend to be more robust and flexible overall. They handle edge cases better. They degrade more gracefully when problems occur.
Accountability and ongoing attention
Accessibility isn’t a project with an end date. It’s an ongoing commitment that requires regular attention. Include accessibility in system updates and migrations. When adding new tools or features, evaluate accessibility as part of the process. Don’t let accessible systems become inaccessible through neglect.
Assign clear responsibility for internal accessibility. Someone needs to own this work, whether it’s an IT role, an accessibility specialist, or HR. Without clear ownership, accessibility falls through gaps between departments.
Create feedback mechanisms for employees to report accessibility barriers without fear of being seen as complainers. Some barriers won’t be obvious until someone encounters them. You need processes that surface these issues quickly and address them seriously.
Matching your external commitment
If you’re reading this on a web development agency’s website, you likely care about digital accessibility. You might be building accessible websites for customers or working to make your own site more inclusive. That commitment needs to extend to your internal systems.
The expertise you develop in external accessibility applies directly to internal systems. The same principles, the same standards, the same testing approaches. The main difference is audience, not approach. Your employees deserve the same care and attention you put into customer-facing accessibility.
When your internal and external accessibility practices align, you build genuine organizational competence. Your team develops deeper accessibility knowledge. You can speak authentically about accessibility challenges and solutions. You’re not just selling accessibility services. You’re living accessibility values.