Global Digital Accessibility Salary Survey #2
Introduction
The report below provides the results of a survey conducted in December 2025 and January 2026 to collect salary and job-related data from professionals whose job responsibilities primarily focus on making technology and digital products accessible and usable to people with disabilities. 300 responses were collected. This is a follow up to our earlier 2025 Salary Survey.
This survey was conducted in conjunction with the GAAD Foundation. The GAAD Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement.
A few disclaimers and notices:
- Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
- Total responses (n) for each question may not equal 300 due to some respondents not answering a particular question.
- The sample was not controlled and may not represent everyone in the digital accessibility field.
Country
| Country | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 135 | 46.6% |
| United Kingdom | 47 | 16.2% |
| Australia | 35 | 12.1% |
| Canada | 21 | 7.2% |
| France | 8 | 2.8% |
| Spain | 7 | 2.4% |
| New Zealand | 6 | 2.1% |
| Other | 31 | 10.6% |
Responses from 23 different countries were received.
Salary
Respondents that indicated working full time reported an average salary (after conversion to US dollars at January 2026 rates) of $101,688 US dollars (median = $94,394).
| Location | Average Salary | Median Salary | Average Salary in US Dollars | Median Salary in US Dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $121,083 USD | $119,500 USD | $121,083 USD | $119,500 USD |
| United Kingdom | £60,523 GBP | £56,273 GBP | $82,917 | $77,094 |
| Australia | $139,271 AUD | $138,250 AUD | $96,097 | $95,392 |
| Canada | $118,626 CAD | $120,700 CAD | $86,597 | $88,111 |
| EU | €69,060 | €55,000 | $82,181 | $65,450 |
Average salaries varied by country. Reported average salary was down from $109,542 in 2025. Much of this shift can likely be attributed to the 2026 survey having fewer respondents reporting significant (25+ years) experience and tenure—both of which align with higher salaries.
Disability Types
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents | Average Full-time Salary in US Dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blindness | 18 | 6.0% | $116,572 |
| Low Vision/Visually-Impaired | 26 | 8.7% | $110,518 |
| Cognitive or Learning | 23 | 7.7% | $96,358 |
| Deafness/Hard-of-Hearing | 20 | 6.7% | $100,221 |
| Motor | 20 | 6.7% | $82,283 |
| Medical/Chronic Health-Related | 42 | 14% | $103,696 |
| Neurodivergent | 95 | 31.7% | $98,700 |
| Psychological/Psychiatric | 33 | 11.0% | $108,049 |
| Other | 10 | 3.3% | $116,372 |
| None | 144 | 38.0% | $101,248 |
60.7% of respondents reported having a disability. 67 respondents (22.3%) reported having multiple disabilities. On average, full-time salaries for respondents with disabilities ($101,907) were comparable to full-time salaries for respondents without disabilities ($101,248), though blind respondents earned notably more ($116,572).
Industry
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents | Average full-time salary (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information technology | 66 | 22.0% | $97,896 |
| Government | 45 | 15.0% | $93,011 |
| Education | 44 | 14.7% | $92,715 |
| Finance | 19 | 6.3% | $106,688 |
| Professional and business services | 15 | 5.0% | $116,619 |
| Telecommunications | 11 | 3.7% | $108,984 |
| Banking | 10 | 3.3% | $98,165 |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 10 | 3.3% | $144,317 |
| Other | 80 | 26.7% | $105,723 |
Compared to early 2025, reported salaries for respondents working in information technology and finance were notably lower, whereas reported salaries for respondents working in government and education remained about the same.
Company/Organization Size
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| 1-10 | 20 | 6.8% |
| 10-100 | 41 | 14.0% |
| 100-500 | 25 | 8.6% |
| 500-1000 | 19 | 6.5% |
| 1000-10000 | 80 | 27.4% |
| 10000-20000 | 36 | 12.3% |
| 20000-50000 | 23 | 7.9% |
| 50000+ | 48 | 16.4% |
62.3% of respondents reported working at companies or organizations with more than 1,000 people. Employees of larger companies/organizations generally reported notably higher average salaries. For example, respondents at organizations with fewer than 100 employees averaged full-time salaries of $85,147 compared to $113,421 for respondents at organizations with 10,000 or more employees.
Employment Status
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 259 | 88.1% |
| Freelancer/Self-employed | 17 | 5.8% |
| Part-time | 13 | 4.4% |
| Other | 5 | 1.7% |
Work Location
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents | Average full-time salary (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | 164 | 55.0% | $109,852 |
| Hybrid | 107 | 35.9% | $96,099 |
| In Office | 27 | 9.1% | $76,008 |
Telework was by far the most common type of work with 90.9% of respondents indicating they work in remote or hybrid locations. In-office respondents reported notably lower salaries on average—31% lower than full-time remote workers. The number of respondents working in office has increased slightly from 6.8% in 2025 to 9.1% in 2026.
Role
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Individual contributor | 75 | 25.2% |
| Staff | 61 | 20.7% |
| Contractor/Consultant | 47 | 16.0% |
| Team lead | 39 | 13.3% |
| Manager | 27 | 9.2% |
| Director | 16 | 5.4% |
| Chief Accessibility Officer | 10 | 3.4% |
| Owner/work for myself | 4 | 1.4% |
| Chief Executive Officer | 2 | .7% |
| Vice president | 2 | .7% |
| Senior director | 1 | .3% |
| Other | 11 | 3.7% |
Accessibility Software, Tools, or Services Company
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 70 | 23.8% |
| No | 224 | 76.2% |
Employees of accessibility companies reported somewhat lower full-time salaries ($97,296 on average) compared to others ($102,177 on average). However, the reported salaries of those working for accessibility companies were notably higher in 2026 than the 2025 average of $87,279.
Department
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Experience | 57 | 19.5% |
| Information Services/Technology | 55 | 18.8% |
| Consulting Services | 44 | 15.1% |
| Engineering/Development | 20 | 6.8% |
| Quality Assurance | 14 | 4.8% |
| Design | 13 | 4.5% |
| Marketing/Communications | 11 | 3.8% |
| Usability/User Experience | 10 | 3.4% |
| IT Support | 9 | 3.1% |
| Other | 59 | 20.2% |
Years Experience
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 Years | 102 | 34.0% |
| 5.1–10 Years | 98 | 32.7% |
| 10.1–15 Years | 50 | 16.7% |
| 15.1–20 Years | 29 | 9.7% |
| 20.1–25 Years | 20 | 6.7% |
| 25.1+ Years | 1 | .3% |
On average, respondents reported 9.5 years of experience in digital accessibility. Those with 10 or fewer years of experience reported notably lower full-time salaries ($90,544 on average) than those with more than 10 years of experience ($123,078 on average).
Years In Current Job
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 Years | 220 | 73.3% |
| 5.1–10 Years | 52 | 17.3% |
| 10.1–15 Years | 15 | 5.0% |
| 15.1–20 Years | 4 | 1.3% |
| 20.1–25 Years | 7 | 2.3% |
| 25.1+ Years | 1 | .3% |
24.3% of respondents worked in their current job for 1 year or less. 90.7% of respondents worked in their current job for 10 or fewer years. Those who worked longer in their current job generally had higher salaries. However, 2026 saw notably fewer respondents with 25+ years experience and tenure which likely is a primary contributor to overall lower salaries on average.
Accessibility Focus
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Nearly none of my time | 10 | 3.4% |
| Most of my time | 81 | 27.5% |
| Nearly all of my time | 57 | 19.3% |
| All of my time | 147 | 49.8% |
Respondents that reported spending all or nearly all of their time focused on accessibility reported higher average salaries than those who spend less time.
Additional Compensation
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Equity | 40 | 13.3% |
| Short term incentive/performance incentive/bonus/commission | 106 | 35.3% |
| Other allowances (e.g., rideshare costs, health club membership) | 70 | 23.3% |
| Paid vacation | 237 | 79.0% |
| Medical, dental, and/or vision benefits | 186 | 62.0% |
| Employer-funded retirement benefits | 199 | 66.3% |
| None of these | 35 | 11.7% |
87.3% of respondents reported additional compensation or benefits (down from 92.2% in 2026), with medical/dental/vision benefits and retirement benefits being most common.
Vacation Days
261 respondents (87%) reported receiving paid vacation with an average of at least 22 paid vacation days per year. 9 respondents reported having unlimited or flexible vacation leave.
Hours Paid Per Week
Respondents reporting being paid to work an average of 37.6 hours per week.
Application Type
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Online job board | 133 | 44.9% |
| Internal job transfer/promotion | 70 | 23.6% |
| Head-hunter/recruiting agency | 27 | 9.1% |
| I own my own business/work for myself | 14 | 4.7% |
| Other | 52 | 17.6% |

