Achieving accessibility, delivering an inclusive online experience

Business Challenges

AnySurfer was looking for an innovative concept for the website as well as ideas to promote different graduations to simplify this. This means that every website that invests into web accessibility can already experience the advantages from phase 1.

Appnovation's team were asked to deliver a concept, complete with full wireframes, so our experts got to work.

As an approved web builder, and champions of digital accessibility, we offered support for the development phase of a new, three language site, www.anysurfer.be (opens in new window) while focusing on responsive design with frontend and backend WCAG level AA compliancy.

How We Helped

The Accessibility Monitor (opens in new window) is a measuring instrument that AnySurfer developed in 2007 in partnership with K-point, the IT and inclusion research and knowledge centre of Thomas More. More than 1,000 students investigate the accessibility of Belgian websites every academic year and the monitor maps out this accessibility. The result is a percentage of accessible sites based on a random test of websites, a quick scan of students and the consolidation of the results by AnySurfer.

Accessible site percentage has risen in comparison with a prior study (from 14.2% to 14.8%), with the semantic structure constantly improving.

Pages are better marked with headers and lists. Therefore, a slight positive evolution even if the majority of Belgian websites does not take sufficient account of the accessibility criteria. Many people (with an impairment) are still experiencing difficulties.

Statistics

31 of 209 Websites in Belgium Identified as Accessible

15% Registered Disabled Population

80 Million People in Europe with an impairment

14.8%

Rise in Fully Accessible Belgian Websites