Former Microsoft Accessibility Consultant on Business Academy, Fractional Work, and Opportunities

Kris interviews Kim Vigsbo, owner-operator of AccessibilityConsulting.com and founder of the Accessibility Business Academy, about his decades-long journey in digital accessibility and what it takes to build a career in this space. Kim built his first webpage in 1995 and started specializing in digital accessibility around 2010. As a neurodiverse person, he was drawn to making websites more usable for people like himself long before accessibility was even a recognized discipline. That personal motivation eventually led to a full career shift where he merged his web design expertise with a deep commitment to inclusive digital experiences. Over the years, Kim has worked with major companies including Microsoft, Penske, and American Express. At American Express, he spent three years rewriting the process for digital projects so that accessibility was integrated from the very first design decision through final delivery. His approach centers on pushing accessibility to the left, getting involved before designers even begin their work, recommending accessible components, and building compliance into every iteration rather than treating it as a last-minute add-on. That experience with enterprise clients taught Kim a critical lesson. Large companies move slowly. Audits that surface serious issues can take 18 months to address because of layered decision-making structures. He found that he prefers working with smaller organizations where turnaround is fast and the human side of accessibility gets proper attention. Kim separated his work into three entities. Stonehill Media handles web design, AccessibilityConsulting.com focuses on audits, VPATs, remediation, and consulting, and the Accessibility Business Academy helps professionals wrap a business around their accessibility knowledge. The Academy was born from a gap he kept encountering. Fellow developers, designers, and project managers wanted to get into accessibility but felt overwhelmed by the technical training available. They needed foundational business knowledge, not deep dives into WCAG success criteria. The Academy covers client acquisition, how to talk about accessibility with non-technical stakeholders, the difference between scanning and manual audits, how to handle clients who already have overlays, and how to position yourself in the market. Kim has identified over 20 accessibility-related job titles and works with members one-on-one to match their existing skills to a role. Non-technical professionals such as project managers and operations specialists are in high demand and often overlooked. Kim also addresses the wave of layoffs hitting accessibility professionals. He draws a parallel to marketing departments, which are typically the first to face cuts during financial uncertainty. His answer is fractional accessibility consulting, where experienced professionals offer their skills independently across multiple organizations rather than relying on a single employer. He notes that some professionals have even been rehired as consultants by the companies that laid them off. The conversation also touches on the European Accessibility Act and the opportunity it creates for U.S.-based consultants. American companies delivering digital services to European markets need to comply with country-specific regulations, and that opens up a consulting niche that very few people are currently serving. Kim shares his framework of three pillars that he teaches every Academy member regardless of experience level: the human side of why accessibility matters, the business case for compliance, and the legal exposure from non-compliance. He is also finishing a book that explains accessibility across 36 chapters without a single technical term, aimed at small business owners who have no prior understanding of what digital accessibility even means. The Academy offers a free tier with full access to the program. A paid tier provides more one-on-one time with Kim. AccessibilityConsulting.com: https://accessibilityconsulting.com Accessibility Business Academy: https://www.skool.com/accessibility-business-academy/ #DigitalAccessibility #AccessibilityCareers #WebAccessibility