At Tech4access, we believe that technology should be within everyone’s reach. Access to information, services, and digital documents is not a privilege, but a fundamental right that drives inclusion and equity across society.
That’s why we are pleased to announce our new strategic alliance with Deque Systems, a global leader in digital accessibility and creator of the axe® suite of solutions, used by millions of developers and organisations worldwide to assess and improve the accessibility of their digital environments.
This collaboration, which currently covers Spain, Argentina, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Portugal, strengthens our commitment to accessible development from the ground up: an approach that integrates accessibility from the earliest stages of design and development of any digital product or service offered by organisations.
Moreover, this alliance comes at a crucial time: the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in full force as of June 2025, requiring companies to ensure that their digital environments and content are accessible and comply with established international standards.
Having accessible development tools is the ideal solution, essential for new technology projects, since these must be aligned with the new European regulations from the very start of their launch.
What is Deque Systems?
Deque Systems is one of the most globally recognised companies in the field of digital accessibility, founded in 1999 in the United States.Its mission ranges from eliminating the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing websites, applications and digital content, to creating accessible environments from the design stage and providing training for technical and product teams.
Deque Systems is the developer of the axe® ecosystem, one of the most widely used toolsets on the market for testing and integrating digital accessibility. With over 3 billion downloads, a presence in leading global companies, and one of the largest teams of experts certified by the IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals), Deque Systems has helped make accessibility an automated, intelligent and sustainable process.
Among its main solutions are:
- axe DevTools®: a suite of tools for browsers and development environments that identifies and corrects accessibility errors in code within seconds, easily integrating into QA and continuous development (CI/CD) processes.
- axe Assistant: an AI-powered assistant that acts as an “expert companion”, resolving technical queries, suggesting best practices, and generating accessible code examples in real time.
- Deque University: one of the most comprehensive training platforms in digital accessibility worldwide, offering programmes tailored to various professional profiles developers, testers, designers, product managers, and more. To date, it has over 200,000 students and official certifications for its courses.
By combining Deque’s advanced technology with our expertise in accessibility and consulting across both the public and private sectors, we can offer an optimised, practical and sustainable solution that enables accessibility to be integrated from the very beginning of development.
Why Deque Systems?
Our alliance with Deque Systems aims to help organisations comply with regulations such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which applies to the private sector, or Royal Decree 1112/2018, which focuses on the public sector in Spain, and to embed accessibility as an essential pillar of digital processes, from design to publication.
Deque Systems stands out for its “shift-left” approach, which allows accessibility issues to be identified and resolved in the earliest stages of development, significantly reducing remediation time and costs while optimising the use of internal resources.
Its tools integrate with major development platforms such as VS Code, GitHub, Jenkins, SonarQube and CI/CD environments, allowing for smooth adoption without the need to modify existing infrastructure.
Furthermore, its technology is supported by artificial intelligence and automation, enabling technical teams to prioritise issues, apply best practices, and maintain continuous control over compliance with international standards.
Benefits of accessible development from the design and development stages
Integrating accessibility from the early stages of design and development enhances the quality of digital products and optimises internal resources and processes, laying the foundations for a more efficient and sustainable working model.
This practice transforms accessibility into a structured and measurable process, aligned with productivity, quality and innovation. Some key advantages include:
- Significant reduction in costs and time: fixing accessibility errors after a product launch can increase costs tenfold. Integrating accessibility from the design stage allows issues to be detected and resolved at the optimal time, reducing rework and speeding up delivery.
- Optimisation of internal resources and processes: implementing accessible practices from the start helps unify criteria, improve communication between design, development and QA teams, and reduce reliance on external reviews. The result is more autonomous, agile and productive teams.
- Regulatory compliance: integrating accessibility from the earliest development stages enables proactive compliance with major national and international standards such as the EAA, ADA, RGAA, Stanca Act, and the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, based on the technical standard EN 301 549.
How to begin this journey
The starting point for an accessible website is to implement accessibility from the earliest stages of product design and development. That’s why, at Tech4access, we support you through the Phase 0 of our Service for Integrated digital Accessibility (SIA®), focused on accessible development and the early integration of best practices.
- Accessible development: integrate accessibility from the outset, with regular reviews and ongoing support. This phase includes our accessible web development solution, alongside consultancy and technical training for your development teams.
- Legal consultancy and alignment: assess the current state of your live digital assets and plan the necessary actions to ensure compliance with current regulations such as the EAA.
- Continuous improvement: develop a tailored accessibility plan for your live digital assets and monitor progress to maintain compliance and optimise internal processes.
- Official AA certification: obtain digital accessibility certification valid for two years, based on WCAG 2.2 Level AA. This evaluation is carried out by the technical auditing unit of Everycode S.L., accredited by ENAC to conduct web and mobile app accessibility inspections in accordance with the technical standard EN 301 549.
Tech4access and Deque Systems: building a barrier-free digital future
Through this alliance, Tech4access and Deque Systems are redefining the way organisations approach digital accessibility, integrating it into every phase of development from design to publication.
Our goal is to ensure that accessibility is no longer viewed as an additional cost but as a fundamental and strategic component of the lifecycle of any digital product.
To this end, we provide organisations with leading technology, certified training, and specialised technical support to comply with European regulations and create truly inclusive digital experiences. Discover how to implement accessibility directly in your code with Tech4access and Deque Systems.
