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How do you apply digital accessibility?

Applying digital accessibility means making digital information and services available to everyone - including people with disabilities. Think of a website, app or online form. But how do you apply digital accessibility in practice? In this article you will learn how to make your digital products more accessible to all users.

What is digital accessibility?

Accessible design starts with understanding. Not everyone sees, hears, understands or operates digital assets the same way. By consciously designing, building and writing, you ensure that as many people as possible can use your website or app properly.

Therefore, ask yourself: who are my users? What obstacles might they experience? And how do I help them overcome them?

Want to know more about the basics? Check out our explanation page About WCAG.

Why apply digital accessibility?

An accessible website or app:

  • does not exclude anyone,
  • is user-friendly for everyone,
  • complies with legislation such as WCAG guidelines,
  • and strengthens your reach and image.

1. Use clear and understandable language

Visitors quickly drop out of difficult texts. Therefore, it is important to:

  • write short sentences,
  • use ordinary, everyday language,
  • and actively wording, “You can apply” instead of “Application can be made.”

Tip: Write at language level B1. That way your text will be easily understood by most people. Check out our tips for clear texts.

2. Provide adequate color contrast

Visually impaired and color-blind people need sufficient contrast to read texts properly. Consider, for example:

  • Black text on a white background,
  • avoiding light gray on white,
  • and no important information in color only (such as red-green without icon).

Image suggestion: example of good and bad color combinations (alt text: “Good and bad contrast examples for digital accessibility”).

Use tools such as the NL Design System Contrast Checker to test contrast.

3. Make your site easy to use

Not everyone uses a mouse. So make sure:

  • everything is accessible with the keyboard,
  • the order makes sense (for example, using the Tab key),
  • and that the user sees where he or she is (focus view).

In addition, use clear buttons and descriptive link text, such as “Learn more about how we work” instead of “Click here.”

4. Add alt text to images

A good alternative text:

  • Briefly and relevantly describes what is in the image,
  • contains no unnecessary words,
  • and does not begin with “Image of...”

Is it a decorative image? Then leave the field blank or use alt=””".

5. Subtitle your videos and offer transcripts

Videos are not accessible to everyone. Therefore, always add subtitles as well as offer a text version. This way even deaf, hard of hearing or cognitively impaired people can follow the content.

6. Use a logical heading structure

A good header structure helps both visitors and resources such as screen readers. Usage:

  • <h1> for the page title,
  • <h2> For main components,
  • and <h3> For subsections.

Don't use headings just for formatting. One <h1> per page is sufficient.

7. Test regularly

Digital accessibility is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process. Therefore, test your website with:

  • tools such as Axe or WAVE,
  • manual accessibility audits,
  • and users with disabilities.

Tip: Have an accessibility audit performed for clear insight and concrete areas for improvement.

8. Choose an accessible design and CMS

Do you work with a CMS such as WordPress or with a web builder? Then choose accessible themes and plugins. When entering content, pay attention to:

  • good alt text, header structure and videos with subtitles,
  • and the use of accessible blocks and widgets.

9. Make forms and documents accessible

Forms must:

  • can be operated entirely with the keyboard,
  • have clear labels,
  • and give understandable error messages.

Documents, such as PDFs, are not accessible until they:

  • contain real text (i.e., no scanned images),
  • have clear headings and a logical order,
  • and preferably also available in HTML.

10. Use clear link texts

Make sure link texts are understandable even apart from their context. Avoid vague terms such as:

  • “Click here.”
  • “More Info”

And instead choose descriptive sentences, such as:

  • “Read more about applying digital accessibility”
  • “View offerings for healthcare professionals”

Summary: What can you do?

Applying digital accessibility is done one step at a time. Key actions are:

  • Write comprehensible texts
  • Provide sufficient contrast
  • Make everything accessible with the keyboard
  • Add relevant alt text
  • Support videos with subtitles and transcripts
  • Use a logical heading structure
  • Test regularly with tools and users
  • Choose accessible themes and plugins
  • Make forms and documents accessible
  • Write clear link texts

Conclusion

Digital accessibility requires attention, but it is easily achievable. Start small, work in a structured way and improve step by step. This is how you make your digital environment suitable for everyone - including people with disabilities. That's fair, future-proof and good for your reputation.

Want to improve your website? Read more about our audit department.