Splitblog in November – Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility has been mandatory since June of this year. When encountering the term accessibility, one might initially think of physical obstacles, high curbs, and missing elevators. However, there are also less obvious barriers. With advancing digitalization, accessibility is becoming increasingly crucial in this domain.
What Does the Law Say?
Since June 28, 2025, companies have been obliged to make their digital products accessible. This primarily concerns providers of services and products accessible online, for example, in banking, passenger transport, or telecommunications. These include websites, apps, digital tickets, and many other offerings. However, companies with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover of less than two million euros annually are exempt from this requirement. The law stipulates that digital offerings must be “perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.”
Inclusion Also Extends to the Digital Realm
The aim of the law is to ensure that every individual, regardless of age, gender, nationality, or physical or mental abilities, can utilize digital offerings. In an era where an increasing number of services are provided online, it must be ensured that all people can access them.
Accessible – More Than Just a Read-Aloud Function
Many are already familiar with it: the read-aloud function on websites. Quickly and easily integrated, it makes websites accessible even for people with visual impairments. However, true accessibility requires more. High-contrast color schemes, scalable layouts, image descriptions, and subtitled audio content can also facilitate the use of digital offerings.
However, motor impairments must also be considered. For example, can an app be operated quickly and easily with one hand? And what about usability with mouth- or gaze-controlled cursors? A thorough examination of the topic usually reveals many approaches to facilitate access.
What Can I Do?
- Check Your Own Products for Accessibility – Find Out What Changes Are Required
- Provide Alternatives – If content cannot be changed at short notice, it can, for example, be provided as a document.
- Customer Service – Enable Access to Your Products via Email or Phone
- Practical Prioritization – If you know that your primary target audience consists of older individuals, for example, you will pay particular attention to good contrasts, larger fonts, and intuitive navigation. For a younger, tech-savvy target audience, screen reader optimization and keyboard navigation might have different priorities.
Aktion Mensch has compiled some useful tools here to check your own website for accessibility. The Pfennigparade Foundation also offers various services related to digital accessibility.
