English

Website Evaluation and Accessibility Consultancy

Accessibility evaluates the accessibility and quality of more than 250 websites of larger Dutch companies and governments. We are proud to have a long list of large organizations that utilize our knowlegde of accessibility. Among those are ING, ABN Amro, SNS and other banks, organizations like KLM, Schiphol, Dutch Tax Services (including software research), ministries and major cities, The Dutch Royal Family website, Dutch Railways (NS) and other major public transport companies, and many educational institutes.

Since 2004 we anually evaluate a selection of Dutch government websites on accessibility, in cooperation with disability organisations. In 2011 the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations asked us to investigate the accessibility of all 418 Municipalities: the Accessibility Monitor 2011 (in dutch).

Development of webstandards and regulations

Accessibility manages many projects related to normalisation and regulation of guidelines for quality and accessibility of the Web. Among these are the normative document for the Quality Mark Drempelvrij.nl and the Web Guidelines for the Dutch Government. We initiated the quality mark Drempelvrij.nl and currently advise the Normative Committee and act as chairman of the Committee of Inspection Organizations.

Specialized usability research with disabled people

We have done extensive research into user profiling for GIS implementations together with Wolters-Kluwer and Cap Gemini. Together with the University of Twente and other stakeholders, we developed a usability lab and testing protocols for specialized usability testing by users with disabilities. This lab performed user testing on government websites, public transport websites and the UPC digital tv platform.

Center of expertise


We provide certified trainings on webaccessibility and related subjects like search engine optimization and content management. Our trainings are available for a broad selection of internet professionals like Web developers, content managers, multimedia designers, project managers and policy makers.

We have extensive expertise in evaluating and benchmarking the accessibility of educational software and E-learning and we set up guidelines for the accessibility of educational software for partially sighted students. These standards are accepted by all of the Dutch institutes and are also implemented within the guidelines for accessible educational software for special needs, in the Netherlands and Belgium. We test educational software and publish the results in an interactive online database for use by target groups. The database is also implemented in the educational software database for Dutch and Belgian mainstream education.

Creating awareness

Creating awareness is an important task for Accessibility Foundation. In the past we published several books and brochures on accessibility, we recently organised the first dutch National Congress on web accessibility. We are a member of AllesToegankelijk ("all accessible"), a group of Dutch organizations, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Health, that bring together entrepreneurs and people with disabilities to significantly increase the accessibility of goods and services.

Accessibility of mobile apps, games and digital tv

Together with Universities and University colleges we work on accessibility of games and digital tv. Accessibility has co-produced accessible games, information on game design principles, total immersion, user preferences, rfid for user profiling, location information systems and soundmenus. The results of our research can be seen in real working games (proof of concept) like Drive (audio racing game), Demor (3D audio game), Audio Game Maker (software), Hoorspelmachine (Radio play software), Submarine (one switch game) and a growing number of smartphone apps. We are currently working on accessibility of digital tv, apps for iPhone and android, and on touchscreen interfaces. Here, technical research and user testing with people with disabilities coincide.

International activities

WCAG-EM tool

Our colleague Wilco Fiers, Senior Auditor and developer at Stichting Accessibility, developed this tool in cooperation with W3C. An important step, because it supports accessibility auditors reporting on web accessibility, an essential step of the web accessibility evaluation process. The tool is based on WCAG-EM, the Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology.

eAccessplus Network

Accessibility Foundation is lead coordinator of the web accessibility domain of the EU European eAccessplus Network. In that role, we are responsible for European harmonization and outreach of Web Accessibility. We cooperate with more than 24 leading European partners including the Fraunhofer institute, AAATE, EDF, Tingtun, University of Linz and many others.

Harmonized evaluation methodology for WCAG2.0

Within the EU WAI-ACT project we facilitated the W3C Evaluation Taskforce and worked on the official harmonized Evaluation Methodology for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 WCAG-EM of which we are co-author. The output of this group was used as input for the Mandate 376 phase 2 work to support harmonized implementation of accessibility guidelines throughout Europe. This work was the foundation for the European Directive on the accessibility of the sector bodies' websites and mobile apps.

CEN specification for Web Accessibility

We co-drafted the European CEN specification for a Web Accessibility Conformity Assessment Scheme and a Web Accessibility Quality Mark. As Accessibility Foundation is the only European testing organization that is conformant with the full requirements of CEN CWA 15554, Accessibility has participated as 1 of 5 experts for the CEN Project Team on EU Mandate 376: European accessibility requirements for public procurement of products and services in the ICT domain.

Furthermore Accessibility co-drafted the extensive overview of accessibility related policies in Europe for the Support-EAM project and continues to support W3C related work in this field.

Unified Web Evaluation Methodology

We have coordinated the EU Web Accessibility Benchmarking Cluster, a cluster of 24 European organizations in 3 EU-projects, working on a harmonized European Evaluation Methodology (UWEM). UWEM and related products from the Cluster are powerful tools in the domain of accessibility. UWEM is mentioned in many official Member states documents.

Touchscreens

Accessibility is also active in the accessibility of touch screen ATM and general information kiosks for blind and partially sighted. Together with organisations for the disabled we produced a solution for the accessibility of touchscreens. This solution enables blind people to operate touchscreens and at the same time facilitate companies to add accessibility to their kiosks.

Return on Investment of Webrichtlijnen

In commission of ECP-EPN, Platform for the Information Society, the University of Twente conducted a study on the potential costs and benefits of implementation of the Webrichtlijnen for non-governmental organizations, like businesses, corporations, not-for-profit and charity organizations, and other private parties. The Webrichtlijnen are compulsory for Dutch governmental organisations. Although the impression in the market exists that implementing guidelines have a positive effect on different indicators of cost and benefit, it is not possible to make any financial or economic conclusions, due to the lack of hard evidence of effects of implementation of guidelines. Read the management summary of Cost Benefit Study of Applying Accessibility Guidelines to Websites.

Most of our website is in Dutch. For more information about our work, please contact our english speaking staff:

Phone: +31 30 239 82 70
Mail: info@accessibility.nl