Digital accessibility: This is how the Internet becomes accessible to everyone!

Digital accessibility: This is how the Internet becomes accessible to everyone!

Rems-Murr-Kreis, Deutschland - The Internet is part of everyday life for many people. Whether reading messages, online shopping or booking appointments-access to the network should be equal for everyone. But people with disabilities are often faced with considerable hurdles that make access to digital content difficult for them. zvw.de reports that long texts and many technical terms can be additional difficulties for these groups of people.

In order to ensure equal digital participation, barrier-free websites and online services are essential. Digital accessibility enables all people, regardless of physical or mental restrictions, access digital resources. In June 2022, around 7.8 million severely disabled people lived in Germany, for whom this accessibility is of crucial importance. As brain-friendly.

The accessibility law

An important step to improve digital accessibility in Germany is the accessibility law (BFSG), which will take effect on June 28, 2025. This law obliges the private sector to create accessible websites and online shops. The requirements are based on the existing standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the Norm EN 301 549, the essential guidelines for digital accessibility. The focus is on the usability and accessibility for all users, especially for people with disabilities. Bitgrip.com explains that the BFSG comes into force in order to give the companies the necessary time for adaptation.

The law has clear guidelines: Websites have to offer a zoom ability of 200 %, the contrasting conditions must be correct, and audiovisual content should be equipped with subtitles or alternative texts. In addition, all functions must be accessible via the keyboard. For people with motor restrictions, it is important that you can carry out navigation without a mouse, while people with cognitive restrictions need clear and simple language.

advantages and challenges

The implementation of digital accessibility has economic advantages in addition to social advantages. Barrier -free websites expand the target group, improve the user experience and can increase the findability in search engines. How brain-friendly. However, there are also challenges such as the financial and technical complexity of the implementation and the lack of information about the requirements of the BFSG.