Accessible Design in Atlanta
Professional accessible design services for Atlanta businesses. Strategy, execution, and results.
Our Accessible Design Work in Atlanta
- Accessible patient portal design for healthcare organizations connected to the Emory Healthcare network, Piedmont Health System, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, serving patients across all ability levels
- Design system development with WCAG 2.2 AA compliance built into every component for fintech startups at Atlanta Tech Village and ATDC, establishing accessibility before the codebase scales
- Screen reader-optimized interfaces for Atlanta nonprofits serving seniors and residents with disabilities, including workforce development organizations operating across Fulton and DeKalb counties
- Accessible e-commerce platforms for Atlanta retailers expanding their digital footprint, with keyboard navigation, proper focus management, and assistive technology compatibility built from the ground up
- WCAG audits and remediation for established Atlanta businesses whose sites were built before modern accessibility standards, including detailed reports identifying every issue and its recommended fix
- Keyboard-navigable web applications for logistics and supply chain companies using Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson as a hub, designed for users operating in high-volume, time-pressured environments
- Accessible content management tools for Atlanta film production companies managing large media libraries, including proper alt text workflows and accessible media players
- Color contrast and typography systems built for readability across Atlanta's diverse user base, with extended testing on the range of device types common in this market
- Accessibility training for Atlanta marketing and development teams building internal capability to maintain compliance as their digital products evolve
- VPAT documentation for Atlanta companies bidding on government contracts or enterprise clients that require documented accessibility conformance
Industries We Serve in Atlanta
Healthcare. Emory University Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare, Grady Memorial, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and the dozens of clinics, federally qualified health centers, and specialty practices across the metro area need accessible digital tools that serve patients and staff across all ability levels. Patient portals, appointment scheduling systems, telehealth platforms, and health information sites must comply with both ADA requirements and Section 1557 of the ACA. The Office for Civil Rights at HHS has taken enforcement actions against healthcare organizations for inaccessible digital tools. Atlanta's large healthcare sector carries significant exposure here, and accessible design is both a compliance requirement and a genuine care quality issue for patients who depend on digital health tools.
Fintech. Atlanta is home to more Fortune 500 financial technology companies than any other city in the country. NCR Voyix, Equifax, Global Payments, and the dozens of payments and lending startups at ATDC need compliant digital products that work for all users. Fintech companies preparing for enterprise sales or investor due diligence are increasingly expected to demonstrate accessibility compliance. AI-driven underwriting and customer-facing financial platforms used in lending must work for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers to review their loan terms and account details.
Film and Media. Atlanta's production industry, centered around the studio complexes in Doraville and College Park, needs accessible websites, casting platforms, and distribution tools that serve a wide range of users, including crew members with disabilities. Streaming and distribution platforms reaching national and international audiences face ADA requirements and increasingly have contractual accessibility provisions from major studios and distributors.
Logistics. With Hartsfield-Jackson processing more passengers than any other airport in the world and a dense rail and freight network running through the Southeast, Atlanta's logistics sector needs accessible operational software and customer portals. Field workers accessing shipment tracking systems, warehouse management tools, and carrier portals on mobile devices benefit from the same keyboard navigation and clear focus management that accessibility standards require.
Education. Georgia Tech, Emory, Georgia State, Morehouse, Spelman, and Atlanta's K-12 public school system all need accessible digital platforms for students, faculty, prospective students, and parents. Federal Section 504 and ADA Title II requirements apply to educational institutions, and the DOE's Office for Civil Rights regularly investigates complaints about inaccessible student information systems, course platforms, and financial aid tools.
Nonprofits. Atlanta's robust social services community, from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to neighborhood organizations in Vine City, West End, and Old Fourth Ward, serves populations with above-average rates of disability and dependence on accessible digital tools. Grant management platforms, volunteer coordination tools, and public-facing websites all need to meet accessibility standards to serve the communities these organizations exist to support.
Real Estate. Atlanta's rapidly growing residential and commercial property market needs accessible listing platforms and property management tools. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on disability, and its application to digital platforms means property listing sites and tenant portals cannot exclude users who rely on assistive technology.
Government. Georgia state agencies, Fulton County, DeKalb County, and City of Atlanta departments need compliant digital tools under federal and state accessibility requirements. Vendors serving government clients face Section 508 compliance requirements and must document their accessibility conformance in VPAT or ACR format.
What to Expect
Discovery. We start by reviewing your existing digital presence, design assets, or product requirements. For audit projects, we run automated scanning tools and begin manual testing within the first week. We document what exists, identify where the biggest gaps are, and develop a clear picture of the scope of work. For new builds, discovery includes reviewing your brand standards, target audiences, and any existing component libraries.
Strategy. We deliver a prioritized accessibility plan that separates critical issues from moderate and minor ones. Critical issues are the barriers that prevent a screen reader user from completing a core task on your site. These get fixed first. We give you a realistic timeline, a clear budget, and a remediation sequence that reduces legal exposure as quickly as possible while building toward full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance.
Implementation. We fix code at the source. That means correcting HTML structure, ARIA labels, keyboard event handling, focus management, and color contrast in the actual codebase. We do not use overlay tools. We test each fix with real screen readers including NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver across multiple browsers, and we test keyboard-only navigation on every interactive element. We document every change so your team understands what was done and why.
Validation and Handoff. When remediation is complete, we run a full post-remediation audit to confirm all identified issues are resolved and no new issues were introduced. We deliver a compliance summary, updated accessibility statement for your website, and training for your content and development teams on maintaining compliance as the site evolves. We also offer ongoing monitoring to catch regressions before they accumulate into another large remediation project.
Build Digital Experiences Atlanta Can Be Proud Of
Atlanta is building something significant in the digital economy. From the innovation happening at Tech Square and ATDC to the healthcare systems serving millions of Georgians, the digital products built in this city represent real community infrastructure. Make sure every person in this city can access what you are building. Running Start Digital is ready to help. Reach out and let's talk about your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
WCAG 2.2 AA is the current legal and industry standard. It is what the DOJ has pointed to in guidance on the ADA's application to websites, and it is what Georgia state accessibility requirements reference. Some federal contractors need to meet Section 508, which is closely aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA but has additional requirements. We build to WCAG 2.2 AA by default, which satisfies all of these requirements. We also stay current on the WCAG 3.0 development process so we can advise Atlanta clients on where the standard is heading and how to prepare for it.
Healthcare organizations face both ADA requirements and federal health IT regulations including Section 1557 of the ACA, which prohibits discrimination in health programs receiving federal financial assistance. Patient portals, appointment scheduling systems, telehealth platforms, and health information websites must all work for patients with visual impairments, motor disabilities, and cognitive differences. Getting this right improves patient satisfaction, reduces support call volume significantly, and protects the organization from Office for Civil Rights enforcement actions. For Atlanta's large health systems, the cost of a single OCR investigation or remediation agreement far exceeds the cost of building accessibly from the start.
A new site built with accessibility from the start costs roughly the same as a standard build, because we integrate requirements into the design and development process rather than adding a separate phase. An audit and remediation project for an existing site starts around $5,000 for a simple informational site and scales with complexity. Medium-sized corporate sites with interactive features typically run $15,000 to $40,000 for a comprehensive audit and remediation. We scope each project individually after reviewing your current site or design files. Atlanta's cost of doing business is favorable compared to coastal markets, and that is reflected in our pricing.
Yes. We audit sites regardless of who built them. We use automated testing tools including Axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE, combined with manual evaluation that automated tools cannot replace. We produce a detailed report with every issue identified, its WCAG criterion, its severity level, and the recommended fix. You can use that report to brief your existing agency, or we can handle remediation directly. We are not territorial about who built the original site. Our goal is to get your site accessible, by whatever path is most efficient for your situation.
Yes, and this is the best possible time to engage us. Embedding accessibility into a design system and component library at the start is far more efficient than retrofitting it after you have shipped a hundred features. Startups at Atlanta Tech Village and ATDC benefit enormously from getting this right before they scale their codebase. The incremental cost of building accessibly from day one is small compared to the cost of remediating a complex product later. We work within startup budgets and startup timelines, and we can structure our engagement as a sprint rather than a long engagement.
A focused audit of a medium-sized Atlanta business website typically takes one to two weeks. Remediation time depends on how many issues are found, the complexity of the site's architecture, and whether we are fixing code directly or working alongside your existing development team. Most small to medium projects complete in four to eight weeks. Large enterprise platforms with complex interactive applications can take twelve to twenty weeks. We recommend prioritizing high-severity issues in a first pass that meaningfully reduces legal exposure within the first two to four weeks, then addressing lower-priority items systematically.
Accessibility regressions are common because every new feature, content addition, or redesign can introduce new issues. We offer ongoing monitoring that runs automated scans regularly and alerts on newly introduced issues before they accumulate. We also provide training for your content and development teams on maintaining accessibility standards day to day. Companies that build accessibility into their workflow continuously stay compliant with far less effort than companies who treat it as a periodic large project.