Accessibility is essential in the digital world

Digital accessibility is a crucial aspect of modern technologies. It ensures that everyone, regardless of physical or mental limitations, can fully participate in the digital society.

Michèle, our senior frontend developer, is at the forefront of this movement. Her expertise with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), maintaining accessibility at every stage of our process, and conducting internal QuickScans ensure our projects meet the highest standards of accessibility. It is therefore entirely fitting that she is one of the three nominees for the DIA PRO Awards in the ‘Best in Tech’ category.

Following the WCAG guidelines is a fundamental basis for creating accessible digital products. However, to truly create inclusive products, it’s crucial to integrate inclusivity right from the very first sketch. This means moving away from the traditional ‘design first, improve later’ mentality and incorporating accessibility into the concept, design, and development phases. With this proactive approach, we can accommodate the needs of all users, regardless of their functional limitations or technical skills.

Want to know more about why digital accessibility really improves when you focus on it as a team? Michèle has written an article about it on our tech blog, ‘Embracing Accessibility as a Team Effort’.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set the standard for creating an accessible online experience. These guidelines are currently mandatory for (semi-)governmental institutions, but in 2025, the European Accessibility Act will extend this obligation to the business sector.

Tip! It’s wise to anticipate this now. Several of our clients have already been before you, for example, we have created fully accessible websites for Waarzitwatin and Schoolwijzer. These websites have achieved the WCAG ‘AA’ Status A score.

Michèle’s nomination for the DIA PRO Award in the ‘Best in Tech’ category is more than deserved. Not only is she a prominent voice on our tech blog, where she writes about various aspects of digital accessibility, but she also maintains accessibility standards at every step of our process. Additionally, she generously shares her knowledge through guest lectures in her role as an expert.

Her quest for further depth in the field of digital accessibility led her to complete the WCAG specialist training at the Internet Academy. This programme provided her with the opportunity to further develop her expertise by understanding the nuances of the WCAG guidelines. This training serves as perfect preparation for an IAAP WAS certification and also ensures that we can perform even better WCAG QuickScans internally, thus eliminating the long wait times for external companies.

Samen met het tech team schrijft Michèle artikelen over toegankelijkheid op onze techblog. Ze schreef eerder zelfs een artikel voor Frankwatching waarin ze nuttige tips aanreikt voor het inclusiever maken van het web: ‘Zo maak je je website toegankelijk voor iedereen’.

Wil je meer weten over tech bij Norday? Bekijk de artikelen op onze techblog.