Key Criteria Indian businesses should use to evaluate accessibility partners!

Digital accessibility in India is no longer a formality. As regulatory scrutiny and digital adoption across diverse user groups continue to increase over time, Indian businesses need to focus more on implementing accessibility. And it becomes easier for them with reliable, experienced accessibility partners.

Accessibility partners help businesses implement and maintain accessibility for a longer span, unlike automated tools. However, choosing the right accessibility partner depends on several factors, such as whether an organization requires sustainable compliance or surface-level fixes.

This article will help in understanding how to choose a suitable accessibility partner.

Key criteria to evaluate the right accessibility partner

• Deep understanding of Indian regulations and global standards

An effective accessibility partner must demonstrate deep knowledge of both international and Indian accessibility requirements.

What to look for:

• Expertise in WCAG 2.1/2.2 across Levels A, AA, AAA.
• Familiarity with GIGW 3.0 (Guidelines for Indian Government Websites).
• Understanding of India-specific frameworks such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) implications on accessible consent and notices.
• Ability to map accessibility requirements to global laws (ADA, Section 508, EN 301 549) for Indian companies serving international markets.

An experienced partner clearly explains how these standards apply to various sectors like BFSI, ecommerce, education, healthcare, or government.

• Human-led expertise, not just automated tools

Automated scanners alone cannot ensure accessibility compliance. At best, they detect 30-40% of issues.

Evaluate whether the partner provides:

• Manual accessibility audit by certified accessibility experts.
• Assistive technology testing using different screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, screen magnifiers, and speech input tools.
• Real-world usability validation beyond technical conformance.

Partners relying only on overlays or automated widgets should be approached with caution, especially for compliance-heavy or user-critical platforms.

• Experience with multilingual accessibility

India’s digital ecosystem is uniquely complex due to language diversity, literacy levels, and low-bandwidth environments.

Seasoned partners will help in:

• Multilingual and regional-language accessibility (Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, etc.).
• Accessible content for non-native English speakers.
• Handling mixed-language interfaces and dynamic language switching.

Ask for some of the work done in the Indian context, not just global case studies.

• Clear and actionable audit reports

Accessibility audits should enable action, not create confusion.

A reliable partner provides:

• WCAG-mapped findings with severity levels.
• Clear explanations in non-technical language for business stakeholders.
• Technical guidance for developers (code-level fixes, ARIA usage, patterns).
• Screenshots, video recordings, or reproduction steps for each issue.
• Prioritization based on legal risk and user impact.

If partners are showing reports that are generic, tool-generated, or lack remediation guidance, they are not suitable.

• End-to-end remediation support

Accessibility does not end with an audit. Businesses often struggle during remediation due to tight timelines and limited in-house expertise.

Assess whether the partner offers:

• Hands-on remediation support for websites, apps, PDFs, and documents.
• Collaboration with designers, developers, and content teams.
• Validation testing after fixes.
• Support during re-audits and compliance signoffs.

If a partner stays involved throughout the lifecycle, it adds more value than audit-only vendors.

• PDF, document, and non-web accessibility capabilities

In India, accessibility obligations extend beyond websites to include government PDFs, reports, forms, and financial documents.

Look for expertise in:

• Accessible PDF remediation (tagging, reading order, tables, forms).
• Word, PowerPoint, and Excel accessibility.
• Complex documents such as annual reports, policies, and regulatory filings.
• Large-scale document remediation workflows.

This is particularly important for BFSI, government, education, and healthcare sectors.

• Accessibility training and knowledge transfer

A good accessibility partner helps build internal capability. Indian organizations often have rotating teams and multiple vendors, making knowledge transfer essential.

Valuable training offerings include role-based training for designers, developers, content writers, QA teams, and product managers.

There must be practical guidance on:

• Accessible design patterns
• Semantic HTML and ARIA best practices
• Accessible content authoring (headings, links, alt text, plain language)
• WCAG interpretation workshops tailored to Indian use cases.
• Documentation, checklists, and reusable templates.

Investment in training ensures that accessibility becomes a part of the organization’s core workflows, and partners can help with it.

• Proven industry experience and relevant case studies

Accessibility challenges vary significantly across industries. An ideal partner should have relevant experience to the specific sector.

Evaluate whether the partner has worked with:

• BFSI and fintech platforms (secure forms, dashboards, transaction flows).
• Ecommerce websites (product discovery, checkout, payments).
• Education and e-learning platforms (multimedia, assessments, LMS tools).

Ask for India-specific case studies and achieved outcomes.

• Transparent engagement model and pricing

Accessibility engagements can range from audits and remediation to long-term partnerships. Transparency is critical.

A credible partner will offer:

• Clear scope definitions (what is included and excluded).
• Transparent pricing models – per audit, per page, per document, or retainer-based.
• Realistic timelines aligned with Indian delivery cycles.
• No hidden dependencies on proprietary overlays or subscriptions.

Be cautious of too less offerings that rely solely on automation or promise instant compliance.

• Ethical approach to accessibility and overlays

Some vendors promote accessibility overlays or widgets as quick fixes. However, such widgets may address surface-level issues only.

Prefer partners that:

• Advocate for native accessibility fixes.
• Are transparent about the limitations of overlays.
• Focus on inclusive design rather than legal shortcuts.
• Centre decisions around users with disabilities, not just compliance badges.

Ethical accessibility partners prioritize long-term impact over short-term optics.

• Ongoing support, monitoring, and future readiness

Accessibility is not static. Content updates, design changes, and platform upgrades can introduce new barriers.

Right partners offer:

• Periodic accessibility reviews or monitoring
• Regression testing after major releases
• Support for WCAG updates and evolving standards
• Guidance on embedding accessibility into agile and CI/CD workflows.

This is especially important for Indian businesses scaling rapidly or operating multiple digital platforms.

In a nutshell,

Businesses should choose a partner, not just a vendor!

Select the right accessibility partner by considering their impact on compliance, brand reputation, and inclusion. By evaluating partners against these criteria rather than cost or automation alone – organizations can move beyond checkbox compliance and build digital experiences that truly work for everyone.

Choosing the right accessibility partner is a strategic decision that impacts compliance, usability, and long-term digital growth. We support organizations with practical, scalable accessibility widget aligned with WCAG, GIGW 3.0, and global standards. With proven experience across websites, documents, and applications, the team focuses on measurable outcomes and real-world implementation. Reach out hello@skynetindia.info to explore how the right accessibility partnership can strengthen digital inclusion while supporting business objectives.