Digital Accessibility.

Digital accessibility (web accessibility, a11y) means that websites and web applications are designed so that they can be used by all people — regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive limitations. This includes: screen reader compatibility (for blind users), keyboard navigation (for users with motor impairments), sufficient colour contrast (for visually impaired users), subtitles for videos (for deaf users) and clear language (for users with cognitive impairments).

The international standard is WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) with three conformance levels: A (minimum), AA (the usual benchmark) and AAA (maximum). In the EU, the European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It does not cover every website, but specific products and services for consumers, including online shops and other e-commerce services, banking services, e-books and parts of passenger transport. Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and an annual turnover of no more than EUR 2 million are exempt as service providers. Technical implementation relies on the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which in turn builds on WCAG.

In Switzerland, the Disability Discrimination Act (BehiG) requires the federal government to make its online services accessible; the relevant standard is eCH-0059, which is based on WCAG. Private companies may not discriminate against people with disabilities when providing services, but Swiss law has no general WCAG obligation for private websites. An inclusion act is pending in parliament as an indirect counter-proposal to the Inclusion Initiative; the National Council approved it in the autumn session 2026, the Council of States has not yet decided (as of 14 October 2026). Whether and how it will affect private websites is open. Anyone serving consumers in the EU should have it checked whether the EAA applies. This entry explains a term and is not legal advice.

Accessibility does not only improve usability for people with disabilities — it improves the user experience for everyone: clear structure, good contrast and keyboard navigation benefit all users. Many accessibility basics overlap with good technical SEO (semantic HTML, alt texts, a clean heading hierarchy). DLM Digital pays attention to these WCAG 2.2 basics on new websites — contrast, keyboard operation, headings, alt texts and labelled forms. A formal WCAG AA conformance audit is a separate assignment and not included automatically.