About us

We've worked inside the problems we're now hired to solve.

Accuity was founded by accessibility practitioners who have worked alongside the organizations we now serve. That experience shapes everything about how we approach this work.
16+
Years of combined accessibility practice
6
Industries served across public and private sector
100%
Of our work is digital accessibility, nothing else
Our founding

Why we started Accuity:

Most accessibility consulting is organized around delivering data in the form of audits, reports, or remediation tickets. The work gets done, the invoice goes out, but three months later the same problems are back.
We started Accuity because we'd seen that pattern too many times. Not because organizations didn't care, but because they lacked the internal structure to sustain progress. No clear ownership, no repeatable process, and no way of knowing whether things were actually improving.
"An audit without a system behind it is just a list of issues that will need to be audited again."
So we built a practice organized around a different question: rather than asking "what's broken?" , we want to know "why does it keep breaking?" The answer is almost always structural, and that's where our work begins.
Our team brings direct experience from in-house accessibility programs, federal compliance work, and product development at organizations that had to figure this out the hard way. We know what good looks like because we've been inside organizations that achieved it.
Our philosophy

What we believe about this work:

These are the principles that shape how we scope engagements, give advice, and decide what to recommend.

Structure over heroics

Sustainable compliance comes from repeatable systems, not exceptional effort by individuals. We build the former so you're not dependent on the latter.

Clarity before action

Organizations that skip diagnosis and go straight to fixes end up solving the wrong problems. We insist on understanding the situation before recommending anything.

Plain language, always

Accessibility requirements are technical. Our job is to make them legible to the people who need to act on them, rather than demonstrating how much we know.

Risk is a real thing

We don't soften findings or bury problems in qualifications. Leadership needs honest information to make good decisions, and that's what we provide.

Capability, not dependency

The goal of every engagement is to leave your organization more capable than we found it, rather than positioning ourselves as a permanent requirement.

Accessibility is a design problem

It's not a legal checkbox or a QA phase. The organizations that get this right treat it as a fundamental constraint on how products and services are built.

Our methods

What working with us looks like:

We're direct and focus on making things actionable. We produce clear, actionable deliverables and independent findings your team can trust.
01
We tell you what we found clearly and candidly.
You get an accurate picture of where you are, prioritized around what to do next.
02
We work with your constraints.
Regulatory timelines, limited staff, competing priorities. We factor these in rather than delivering plans that can't be executed.
03
We translate, not just report.
Findings come with context and next steps in language your team can act on without a separate interpreter.
04
We measure by what changes.
The goal isn't a deliverable, rather it's a meaningfully improved situation. That's what we hold ourselves accountable to.
Our credentials

Qualifications
and experience

Our team holds recognized credentials in accessibility, usability, and compliance. We maintain active involvement in the standards community and stay current with evolving regulatory requirements across the industries we serve.
Certifications
CPACC — Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies
International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
WAS — Web Accessibility Specialist
International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
CPWA — Certified Professional in Web Accessibility
International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)
Standards and Frameworks
WCAG 2.1 / 2.2
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Levels A, AA, and AAA
EN 301 549
European standard for ICT accessibility requirements
AODA
Canadian federal and provincial accessibility laws
Domain experience
Federal, state, and local agencies
Section 508 program management and audit support
Enterprise business
Embedded accessibility in product design and development cycles
Higher education
Policy and program design across decentralized institutions
Community involvement
IAAP membership
Active members of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals
W3C WAI contributor community
Engagement with the Web Accessibility Initiative working groups
Continuing education
Regular participation in accessibility conferences and regulatory updates
Our executive team

Who we are

Nicholas Horton, OTD, CPWA

CEO, Founder and Principal Consultant

Nicholas is a digital accessibility and human factors specialist with 15+ years of experience spanning enterprise accessibility, UX research and design, human-computer interaction, assistive technology, and healthcare. His professional and academic experiences have provided opportunities to develop innovative methods for evaluating user interfaces, accessibility testing, and program management. Nicholas holds a doctorate from Boston University with a dissertation on improving the connection between technology and human interaction.

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Daniel McGowan, CPACC, WAS

COO, Founder and Principal Consultant

Daniel is a technology, operations, and accessibility leader with more than 15 years of experience in digital accessibility, and organizational strategy. His work spans enterprise project management and coordination of complex initiatives across technical, operational, and executive teams. Throughout his career, Daniel has supported collaborations to standardize data exchange and build accessible public health infrastructures.

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Karen Segura Castro, B.A.

Director, Language Access

Karen helps organizations create accessible communication experiences for diverse communities. She works to evaluate communication needs, strengthen language access practices, and embed language accessibility into organizational programs. Karen expands the Accuity's mission of ensuring that accessibility extends beyond technology creating environments where people can meaningfully access information and services, regardless of language or communication needs.

Nina Hartsell, B.S.

Director, Marketing and Sales

Nina is a marketing and sales specialist with experience in business development, brand positioning, and client acquisition. Her work includes shaping outreach strategies, managing  sales pipelines, developing proposals, and translating client needs into clear service opportunities. Nina guides Accuity's market presence and commercial strategy while supporting new and existing client engagements.

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Morgan Burke

Director, Public Sector Solutions

Morgan supports the development and delivery of accessible solutions for government agencies, public institutions, and non-government organizations. A veteran of the United States Army, Morgan brings a service-driven approach to client engagement and strategic planning. His experience contributes to understanding requirements of the public sector  while supporting Accuity's broader mission of making digital public services accessible and effective for everyone.

Ready to talk about your situation?

Most conversations start with a straightforward question: where do we stand? We can help you find out.