December 3, 2024

Will your website be fully accessible in 2025?

The World Health Organization estimates that around 1 billion people (about 15% of the world's population) have a disability. In Europe, no less than 27% of the population has a physical or mental disability. This means that approximately 5.5 million residents of the Netherlands and 101 million people in the European Union cannot use all digital services because they are not available to all senses.

By making your website accessible to people with visual, hearing, physical or cognitive disabilities, you appeal to a broader, more diverse audience. As a nice bonus, you also increase the SEO of your website.

In 2018, the “temporary digital accessibility legislation” came into effect and Dutch government institutions had to comply with the legal obligations for digital accessibility. But in 2025 the European Accessibility Act (EEA) will go into effect. From June 2025, this legislation will also apply to the Netherlands and will be enforced.

Does your company fall under the EEA? It just might be possible. For example, the law will apply to e-commerce companies in the broadest sense of the word. For example:

• news websites,

• sales of products and services,

• range of professional services (such as doctors, lawyers and real estate agents).

For these companies, this means that the entire product or service offering must be clear and accessible to everyone.

An exception has been made for small entrepreneurs. Companies with less than 2 million annual turnover and fewer than 10 employees are not covered by the law.

That may sound nice now, but why would you exclude a quarter of your potential customers if you can prevent that in a easy and affordable way?