10 unexpected facts about web accessibility
I’ve put together 10 interesting insights about web accessibility that I hope you’ll find surprising, but here’s a twist: one of them isn’t entirely correct. Could you guess which one?
Blind people can “read” faster than sighted people, using sound
Screen-reader users often read at 500–700 words per minute, while average sighted people peak at 250–300 wpm.
Braille isn’t a language on its own
It’s a tactile writing system that can represent almost any language. You can find Braille versions of Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, and many more.
Dyslexia is more common than red hair
Around 7% of the population has dyslexia, which is far more than most people think.
Only 5% of the internet is accessible
Latest WebAIM’s 2025 report found that nearly 95% of websites fail basic accessibility.
Who has the worst accessibility score? It’s e-commerce
WebAIM found these average issue counts per homepage: Shopify: 69.6, WooCommerce: 75.6, Magento: 85.4.
The global disability market is almost the size of the entire global fashion market
It’s worth over one trillion dollars in annual spending power - to put that into perspective, that’s bigger than the global beauty industry.
80% of caption users are not deaf
switch them on in noisy cafés, on trains, in offices, or simply to improve comprehension or concentration. Captions benefit more people than most realize.
People with ADHD lose attention in 2–3 seconds on cluttered UIs
People with ADHD are more sensitive to visual clutter and distraction — studies show that they experience significantly more perceptual interference when UIs are crowded.
Alt text isn’t just for screen reader or blind users
Alt text also helps search engines understand your images. Properly written alt text can improve your website’s visibility in search results, while accessible websites tend to provide better user experience, which can indirectly support SEO.
Accessibility errors cost more than fixes
Addressing accessibility problems after launch can cost up to 10× more than during development, and legal actions or reputational damage can be even more expensive. Investing in accessibility early saves money before it drives revenue.
Web accessibility and the study of disabilities never stop surprising and inspiring me. Every fact reveals something new about how people interact with technology and how thoughtful design can make a real difference. Which fact inspires you the most?
I reckon number 10 is 'not entirely correct' because accessibility fixes post-launch cost more than fixing errors identified during the development. And the more experienced in accessible dev the team is, the less errors will be made, bringing the costs down even further. Great list! I'd love to see your references, because I wasn't aware of some of them and now I want to know more!