Q&A with Aaron Page, Allyant’s VP of Accessibility

In the world of digital technology, companies are quick to highlight experiences that are increasingly “immersive” or “three-dimensional.” But Aaron Page, a champion for digital accessibility, explains that experiencing an app or website is actually one-dimensional for many users. 

“My screen reading software translates a page into a continuous stream of text,” says Page, who is legally blind. “And I can use the arrow keys to move forward or backward through that stream of text. But that's it.” 

Page has glaucoma, a condition that more than 15 years ago took away his ability to see a world of apps that have been visually oriented for a variety of screens and devices. He’s one of an estimated 1.3 billion people who live with a disability. And he’s also in a position to do something about it. 

As Allyant's VP of accessibility, Page and his team help companies ensure their websites and apps follow accessibility best practices and comply with increasingly complex regional legislation. 

The Allyant team has become a trusted partner for ArcTouch’s app and website accessibility services. Allyant provides independent audits for digital properties, and ArcTouch then implements their recommended improvements. So we were thrilled Page could spend time with us talking about accessibility. In particular, we wanted to discuss the looming European Accessibility Act (EAA), which requires a company’s apps and websites to meet accessibility standards or face penalties, and goes into effect in June 2025. Page offers great insight into how brands and businesses should prepare for that deadline — and a reminder of why digital accessibility is important through the lens of his work and disability. 

How did you end up working in accessibility? 

I started in the accessibility space by asking one question during one meeting. About 10 years ago, I was a student employee working at the IT help desk at the University of Montana, where I was working on my bachelor's degree. I typically did things like password resets and connecting people's phones to Wi-Fi. During a meeting about online courses and learning, I raised my hand and said, "I'm blind and I use a screen reader. How do you know if a course is accessible to somebody like me?" They paused for a minute and they said, "We don't know. Do you want to work for us and tell us?" And that began my professional journey in digital accessibility. I continued to be in that role until after I graduated. In 2018, I heard about an amazing opportunity with Accessible 360, which has since become the digital accessibility division here in Allyant, and came on board.

Describe your typical day at Allyant?

I wear a few hats. A big part of my role is supporting our sales team. With prospective and new clients, I explain the intricacies of accessibility. I also do a lot of work with our digital auditing teams. When we audit websites and mobile applications, I help with escalations and complex accessibility issues. For example, there is a lot of ambiguity in WCAG and other standards that can be up for debate and interpretation. I also head up our accessibility claims team, which helps clients targeted by an accessibility-related lawsuit or demand letter. I also recently kicked off a new internal accessibility initiative. Because we are an accessibility company, we need to make sure that we are living up to our values — that our own internal processes, procedures, and tools are as accessible as can be. 

The EAA goes into effect in June 2025. What does this mean for brands that offer digital experiences?

It means time is running out to ensure that your digital experiences are accessible to all users. That includes your website, mobile applications, and any third-party software and services you might use in your websites or mobile applications. Also, electronic documents, PDF documents, and other electronic forms of communication — including emails, newsletters, etc. — need to be accessible. 

We're all on the clock now — there's less than a year until this comes into effect. A typical simple website or app — to go from audit through remediation to conformance — typically takes between 6 to 12 months. So there's not much time left to make sure these are accessible.

What should companies be doing right now to prepare for that deadline?

One of the best things is to pair up with an accessibility vendor that offers expertise and helps get the ball rolling. Start with something simple, like conducting an inventory of your electronic assets and documents. Identify the core user paths on your website and mobile application to ensure that those are, in fact, accessible. Getting training for your development teams and internal content creators is another good place to start.

How do you think companies might be penalized for non-compliance?

The EAA allows consumers to file grievances in their respective jurisdictions. Each individual state in the European Union determines the governing authority for their state's or nation's accessibility law. Consumers will use those processes to submit complaints for websites and mobile applications that are not accessible. And then, of course, there’s litigation. That isn't as prolific in Europe as in the United States, but the risk of accessibility-related litigation remains quite real.

So what happens if a consumer files a grievance and they're found to be in the right? What can a business expect?

I suspect monetary penalties will probably depend on each nation's implementation of the law. There are likely to be financial penalties for companies that don't conform. And then there will likely be settlement agreements mandating conformance within certain timelines.

So that can turn into operational gridlock, right? 

Right. As a company, it essentially takes away your ability to prioritize your development resources. Instead of gradually addressing accessibility over a time period you control, you have to throw everything you have at accessibility. And so it can negatively impact your other business initiatives.

Accessibility regulations are constantly shifting. What's the best way for project or product stakeholders to stay abreast of those regulations?

It’s critical to partner with an accessibility vendor who can keep you informed of these updates — and serve as your subject matter expert. It's also important to regularly get feedback from persons with disabilities. As somebody who has a disability, I believe very strongly that true accessibility — not just conformance — can only be determined and achieved by live user testing with persons with disabilities. 

If you can hire people with disabilities onto your internal team, and they share their lived experience alongside other accessibility champions, so much the better. Then you have those additional perspectives and resources ready on staff. And as the technologies evolve and change, somebody who is living and working with a disability is going to be more aware of those changes.

Also, there are a surprising number of useful mailing lists out there. The International Association of Accessibility Professionals, Accessibility.com, the WordPress Accessibility Group — these are all amazing resources to help keep abreast of some of the latest and greatest developments in the accessibility space. 

You've been very open about sharing your experiences with blindness. What's it like working in a capacity to help promote accessibility awareness and ultimately affect change?

It's gratifying both personally and professionally. As somebody who has a disability, who lives with blindness, and who uses assistive technology every single day, accessibility is very important. It's amazing to be able to help ensure other persons with disabilities have access to these websites, apps, information, and services. And to top it off, I get to do this important work while also working for a for-profit private company — and the benefits that come from that. It's an extremely gratifying and rewarding position for me, personally and professionally.

What's the simplest way to explain using digital technology — mostly oriented around visual content on screens — as a blind user?

I always describe it like this: For somebody who can see, when you look at a web page or an app view, you are seeing two dimensions. There can be a close button in the top right corner. There can be a footer located in the bottom center. You might have a hamburger menu in the upper left corner. There's up and down and left and right. 

But for me, as a screen reader user, content is one-dimensional. My screen reading software translates a page into a continuous stream of text. And I can use the arrow keys to move forward or backward through that stream of text. But that's it. So when I go to a web page, if you say to me, "Well, there's a hamburger menu in the upper left corner," that doesn't mean anything. What matters to me is where that hamburger menu is located in the code. Because where it's located in the code dictates how far forward or backward it is in that continuous stream of text. 

So as you consider the screen reader experience, think about web pages and applications one-dimensionally. What is it like to simply move forward and backward through that? 

WCAG has become standard for web accessibility. But app accessibility is a little different. How would you explain the difference?

This was a hot topic at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference this year. The guidelines were written for web content and not for native mobile applications. And yet, that is the standard that is cited. The EAA cites WCAG 2.1. Section 508 in the U.S. cites WCAG. And then court settlement agreements mandate WCAG, even in the context of mobile applications, even though WCAG isn't necessarily designed for it. There’s often an interpretation that has to occur to take a web standard and translate it for a mobile context. 

A simple example is headings. WCAG says if something is semantically a heading, it should be identified as a heading. Well, in iOS and Android development, there are a lot of situations where you simply cannot put in a heading. And so there is a contradiction there. And that leads to debate and frustration around making mobile applications accessible. 

I hope that there will soon be a new standard for mobile accessibility. There is a W3C Task Force specifically working on this. [Editor’s note: ArcTouch is a part of this task force.]

How would you grade our industry's progress overall when it comes to digital accessibility?

Probably a C+ or a B-. Not the greatest rating overall — but when I first started working at Accessible 360 the vast majority of our clients were coming to us because they had been targeted by an accessibility-related lawsuit. They were acting reactively rather than proactively. And that has shifted. Half, if not more, of our clients are now proactively coming to us. So, the virtues of accessibility and the need for accessibility are becoming more well-known and understood. 

Content platforms like Shopify and WordPress have some accessibility features built in. So if you're aware and are trying to ensure that the content you create is accessible, some tools are there to help.

But there are still issues. Litigation is still a big driver in this space. And it's hard for the accessibility standards to keep up with the breakneck pace of technology. 

What’s the biggest misconception brand leaders and builders have about digital accessibility?

The notion that making something accessible means it'll be ugly or cumbersome. That you can't have a sleek user experience while also making it accessible. Good UX is fundamentally linked with accessibility. Good UX is good UX for everybody. Using simple workflows and simple elements doesn't require unnecessarily complex interactions, which makes the experience better for everybody. Carousels are a good example. They introduce an awful lot of accessibility issues on websites and applications that we encounter. Yet research studies show that most people don't really like carousels to begin with. Oftentimes, you don't need them. And if you choose a simpler pattern, you make the user experience better for everybody. 

How do you persuade business leaders who think digital accessibility is optional rather than a requirement?

There's the carrot and there's the stick. The carrot is that there are millions of people with disabilities all across Europe and in the United States, and billions across the entire world. And people with disabilities often have significant buying power. So, there is an accessibility business case to be made to ensure that your services are available to these customers. Also, by making it accessible, you will also make the experience better for all. So you'll see improved metrics across the board.

And then there's the stick. There is a lot of litigation in the accessibility-related space. And the penalties can vary. There will almost certainly be financial penalties associated with a lack of conformance. And then there's the reputational harm of being associated with a high-profile accessibility lawsuit. Most disabled folks know that Domino's Pizza was sued because of lack of accessibility. They know that Target Corporation was sued due to lack of accessibility. That is reputational harm that is hard to undo.

What can builders like our team at ArcTouch do to help further the cause of accessibility?

I think you guys are already doing a fantastic job — and I appreciate you working with our team to help ensure that the apps you're developing are accessible. The involvement ArcTouch has in the community is fantastic, particularly in helping establish mobile accessibility guidelines. 

Please continue to advocate for accessibility, especially in the mobile space, because right now we are still in the Wild Wild West days of mobile accessibility. We’re all still trying to figure out what constitutes an accessible mobile app. And as one of the leading mobile app development agencies, I think ArcTouch will have a huge role to play in that.

Thanks so much for your time, insight, and leadership, Aaron!

About ArcTouch

ArcTouch helps companies create lovable apps and websites to reach the widest possible audience, including users with disabilities. Whether you are building a new digital product or want to improve the accessibility of an existing one, contact us — we can help.