Accessibility on the Internet: Duty or matter of the heart?

The Internet has become a crucial aspect of daily life. One important point is often overlooked: Accessibility. In Germany alone, around 7.9 million people live with a severe disability, which is almost ten percent. That is why an inclusive range of services is now to be required by law. The EU already decided on specific requirements for barrier-free design of digital services in 2019 in the "European Accessibility Act". In Germany, the Barrier-Free Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitssstärkungsgesetz, BFSG) requires the implementation of these specifications for all public online services by 2025.

What is the importance of accessibility at all in the digital world and why is it increasingly essential?

To get to the bottom of these questions, we have highlighted the following points:

1. Accessibility helps reach a reach a wider range of people. The Internet is used not only by people with full physical and mental abilities, but also by people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive impairments. Accessibility ensures that all peopleregardless of mental or physical limitations, access to online content. access to online content.

2. accessibility can improve the user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities. For example, subtitles and transcripts for videos can be useful for people who are in noisy environments or prefer to read the content. Accessibility features such as a contrast mode can also benefit users with visual impairments.

3. the implementation of the legal requirements regarding accessibility is monitored. If they are not complied with, this may result in a penalty. It may even happen that one is no longer allowed to perform the services concerned.

To make sure that doesn't happen, here are a few more tips on how to make your website more inclusive:

You can add alternative texts to your website content. These then allow you to play back images in audio format. Normally, these can be added using certain key combinations. Some social networks, such as Instagram, already offer the insertion of alternative texts simply as a function. Providing a blue filter or intelligent font enlargement is also a great help for many people.

By the way, using the Eye-Able tool can help you provide accessibility features quickly and easily. We already offer a wide range of inclusive solutions.Our Eye-Able Audit feature will help you make sure your website is always up to date by law! The function offers you the possibility to independently check your website for WCAG compliance, which is also referred to in the legislation. It will not only show you where the errors are, but also how they can be fixed. 

In a world that is becoming increasingly digitalized, it is important not to exclude anyone, because areas such as education, business, entertainment, etc. only function with social and societal participation. In order to ensure this, accessibility must be pursued at all costs. For us, there is definitely more to this than just a legal requirement. Let's work together for a world that is accessible to all.