The Accessibility Act is coming, June 28 to be precise.
The accessibility law is officially called the “European Accessibility Act” (EAA). A law of the European Union that aims to improve the accessibility of products and services for people with disabilities. The core purpose is to enable individuals with disabilities to function just as effectively as people without disabilities, but it also provides significant benefits for, for example, the elderly, enhancing their ability to interact with technology and services.The law applies to both physical and digital products, think of computers, smartphones but also internet banking, and important for us… webshops and websites.
How does this translate to a website?
Users should be able to adjust the website without losing content or functionality, for example they should be able to zoom in or enlarge a font. There should be text alternatives for non-textual content, an image should have a description, videos should have subtitles and audio transcripts. Think about sufficient contrast between text and background color, and avoid elements such as flashing banners to prevent epileptic seizures and distractions. Give users enough time to perform tasks, for example to pay in your webshop and so on.
Technical requirements.
An accessible website requires more than just a well-thought-out design and a logical layout; the technical implementation is also crucial. Websites must be robust enough to be interpreted by all kinds of user tools such as browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers. This means that the underlying code must be consistent and structured. Content must be written in readable and understandable text and the operation of both elements on a page and navigation in general must be clear and self-explanatory.
Who is the law for?
The law is there for companies that provide services or products to consumers or the government via digital channels. Smaller companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover < 2 million euros are exempt from this, it remains essential. An accessible website is not only pretty obvious, but also offers advantages such as a greater reach and a better SEO ranking because “accessibility” is a ranking factor and simply measurable. If you want to know how your website scores, look here. We take accessibility into account as standard (Level AA) and it is also included in our maintenance contract.