B Corp Certification is built on the idea that business can be a force for good, for workers, communities, and the planet. Website accessibility fits right into this mission, and B Lab has made sure it’s part of the equation. Under B Lab’s new B Corp Certification standards, digital accessibility is included among the actions companies can take to meet Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) requirements, including accessibility of public websites (JEDI2.m) and internal digital communication tools (JEDI2.l).
“JEDI2.m. Assess the accessibility of the company’s public website to confirm it meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA or AAA criteria, using manual testing, expert review, and feedback from people with disabilities.”
“JEDI2.l. Verify that internal digital communication tools meet WCAG AA or AAA accessibility criteria, confirmed through manual testing and feedback from people with disabilities.”
Credit Requirements
In order to receive credit for this topic, importantly B Lab asks for more than a passing grade from a website scanning tool, and that’s a good thing. It means the credit actually reflects real-world usability. To qualify, companies must demonstrate:
- Conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA or AAA, the widely recognized standards for accessible digital experiences. Note, JEDI2.m doesn’t mention an exact version of WCAG—whether 2.0, 2.1, or 2.1. Despite this, Allyant encourages all organizations to strive to conform with WCAG 2.2, the most recent guidelines. WCAG 2.2 builds upon earlier versions while taking into account advancements in technology, including mobile devices, while also better supporting users with cognitive disabilities.
- Manual testing, in addition to automated scanning.
- A review from an accessibility expert.
- Direct feedback from people with disabilities using assistive technology.
Put together, this is a genuine, human-centered picture of whether a site works, not just whether it passes an automated checklist.
The Value of Manual Testing
When seeking to understand whether a website or digital tool meets WCAG standards, automated scanners can be a great starting point. They tend to catch a useful slice of issues quickly. But the richest opportunities to improve someone’s experience live in the roughly three-quarters of WCAG criteria that need human judgment. For example, whether image alternative text accurately captures what an image conveys, whether a keyboard user can move through a page smoothly, whether a screen reader announces a form error in a way that makes sense.
Manual testing, especially testing that includes people who use assistive technology every day, is what turns “technically compliant” into “genuinely usable.” It’s the step that reveals to an organization the way actual customers, job applicants, and community members experience a site, and it often surfaces the kind of insight that improves the product for everyone, not just users with disabilities.
A Practice Worth Building In, Not Bolting On
WCAG has also become the standard most widely recognized in accessibility law and litigation—most notably WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA. This means the same web accessibility work that earns B Corp credit does double duty—it strengthens a company’s legal footing with laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), European Accessibility Act (EAA), Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and others.
For B Corp companies, that’s the real opportunity here. Treating accessibility as an ongoing part of how a website gets built, not a one-time push before recertification, is a natural extension of the B Corp commitment to doing right by people. It’s a chance to lead by example when it comes to inclusion, in a place a lot of companies still overlook. Their own front door.
The Takeaway
An accessible website is a meaningful way for B Corps to live out their mission, and manual testing, including testing by native assistive technology users, is what validates accessibility. Building the right approach to testing into everyday practice turns a certification requirement into something more valuable: A website that genuinely works for everyone who visits it.
How Allyant Supports B Corp Certification
Allyant’s approach to web accessibility testing is founded upon these same best practices—leverage automation where possible to accelerate progress, supplement with manual auditing, and validate usability from testing by engineers with disabilities. Allyant issues organizations a Letter of Conformance, validating accessibility is an ongoing commitment. And all work is anchored within our intuitive, integrated accessibility management platform that captures audit results, provides access to code-level remediation guidance, and serves as the conduit between your team and Allyant’s expert support.
To explore more, engage our team today.