Figures
In Germany alone, about 10% of the population (around 7.9 million people) have a recognized severe disability. They use the Internet more often than average because there are fewer obstacles on the Internet than in "normal" life. Accessible websites are essential for this group of people.
About 30% of the population suffers from visual impairment, motor impairments, lack of concentration, or they are non-native speakers of a language. Accessible websites are necessary for this group of people.
For all other people, accessible websites are extremely helpful because they are easy to use, easier to understand and more likely to be found by search engines than non-accessible sites. (Source: Aktion Mensch)
The percentage of people in the overall population who rely on accessible websites is probably also more or less reflected in the number of people who use your portal. Making your portal accessible is therefore certainly worthwhile.
Legislation
In addition to the above advantages of accessible websites, there are also legal requirements for implementing accessibility. Most recently, the BFSG (German Accessibility Strengthening Act) was promulgated in the process. It will come into effect on June 28, 2025. For the first time, private market players will be required to comply with accessibility requirements if their products or services fall within the scope of the Act.
What is accessibility?
In a general sense, accessibility can be easily determined: Websites are considered accessible if they can be used by people with and without disabilities. Or to put it a little more precisely, A website is accessible if limitations in seeing, hearing, moving, or processing information do not negatively impact how we use the web. (Source: Aktion Mensch)
As easy as it is to determine general accessibility, the details can be more complex. It is obvious that the use of legible fonts, sufficient contrast and adequately large buttons is helpful and at the same time relatively easy to implement. But it can be more difficult when using (complex) tables, to ensure easy navigation, or that they can be read out loud correctly by screen readers. The use of ARIA roles and attributes, for example to assign landmarks on a page, can be even more complex because they can only be identified by screen readers.
Solutions
WCAG has written suggestions and guidelines for virtually every conceivable obstacle on the web, so that web authors can help people with disabilities overcome such barriers. Starting with the section WCAG, BITV and Intrexx, you will find a complete list of these guidelines with notes on their relevance and capability of implementation in Intrexx. This list will help you to remove even complex barriers that may not seem relevant at first, so that your portal and application pages are accessible.
Who benefits from accessibility?
Note that not only people with disabilities benefit from accessible sites. Generally, accessible web pages are more user-friendly. Good usability makes all your users happier. And if your portal is accessible on the Internet, you will achieve increased reach with accessible pages, as pages are found more easily by search engines if they are designed to be user-friendly and easily accessible.
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