There are three points to make about finance, business and digital accessibility.  The first point is in regards to the cost of introduction and implementation. There is the cost of training of staff. There is the extra time required to implement, and for print media and associated flies there is an extra cost to the visual design. If we look at each of those points, the cost of training staff will diminish when it becomes standard operating procedure, which means that it will take less and less time to implement each time. Yes, there is an extra cost initially for the visual design. A great visual designer who understands digital accessibility then the cost is minimal. Updating of websites does cost money.  However, if the digital accessibility practices are introduced gradually, it is an easier and cheaper process. 

What is the cost of not introducing the digital accessibility standards?  Here, in Australia, there have only been two successful court cases.  The human Rights Commission was involved and the businesses (Sydney Olympic Committee and Coles, lost.  Sydney Olympic Committee paid reparations while Coles had to update their website to make and keep it accessible.  There is some reporting of websites to the Human rights Commission based on the Disability Discrimination Act.  That  is, the business can be found to have discriminated  against those with disability by not ensuring that their websites are accessible by not meeting the standards.  The outcome is usually a negotiated outcome with the business required to update their website.  In the USA there is a large number of businesses being sued for not meeting the equivalent legislation.  In the latest outcome, students successfully sued a community college as the college didn’t ensure that their study documents including mathematical documents were accessible.   Going to the Human Rights commission costs the business money.

What is the financial benefits of adding digital accessibility to your documents, procedures and websites.  You, in Australia, will be unique.  That is, you are branding yourself as being non-discriminatory, forward thinking and more importantly welcoming to all.  The word gets around. 

The benefits you’re going to have a larger audience, a larger number of people that can possibly access the information can act on the information and use your services in other words you have a larger market.   Which could mean a larger profit.