Accessibility benefits everyone. A lot of people have the misconception that when we speak about accessible sites, it just means that it is usable for blind or disabled people, which isn't completely true.
Accessibility
When we speak about accessibility, it means that the site is usable for anyone. So if a site has a bad UX, and it isn't easy to navigate or simple enough, it might not be accessible to everyone, including people who navigate the web the classic way. An example is elderly people may find a site with a dozen of actions hard to navigate, and they may never get to accomplish the goals they had.
What I'm trying to say is, that accessibility starts with the design of the pages:
- Structure
- Simplicity
- Colors
- and more
Then there is the development phase, developing the site with proper markup, making sure it works without JavaScript and making sure the elements have proper roles, accessible names, focus styles, etc.
To be honest, even then, the site may not be 100% accessible, because there is always room for improvement.
An important thing to mention is doing user testing and observing your own users using your site. That's arguably the best way to find UX bottlenecks or places to be improved.
Other benefits
Obviously, by designing and developing your site in an accessible fashion, there are more benefits that you may not notice:
- You avoid discrimination and legal complaints
- You get to reach a wider audience, which can lead to making more revenue (depends on your audience and product)
- Building a positive image of yourself, and having empathy for your users.
- Increases SEO of your site. (SEO and Accessibility Alignment)