Digital accessibility for associations and foundations

As a non-profit organisation, you naturally want to reach as many people as possible, including those who have a little more difficulty using the internet. Sometimes this is because of age, sometimes because of origin and sometimes because of a disability. A digitally accessible website sounds expensive. But is it?

Online communication for social, community and cultural organisations

How nice would it be if everyone could visit your website properly? Accessibility should be the standard and inaccessibility the exception. You are the administrator or creator of the website for your association, foundation or organisation. Of course you want everyone to be able to visit and understand your beautiful website.

Why is digital accessibility important for non-profit organisations?

  • Sometimes the website is the only way to quickly read all the information about your organisation.

  • You don't want to exclude anyone, for example if your members have to register online for activities.

  • Everyone can participate: regardless of a disability, age or social background.

  • A good website will earn you money, for example if you receive donations through your site or recruit new members.

  • A lot of people are involved: about 1 in 4 in the Netherlands. That's about 78,000 blind people and 1.5 million people with a physical disability, for example.

  • An accessible website will be found better. It will help you rank higher in Google.

What do I do to make my website accessible?

We hear you ask "What can I do to make my website accessible?". It sounds like an expensive, difficult and tricky subject, but it's not all that bad. Digital accessibility is actually quite fun. To get you started, we break down our advice into three situations.

1. I already have a website, how do I make it accessible?

If there is already a website for the organisation, it might not be possible to really turn everything upside down. That would take too much time or money. Therefore, it is also better to include digital accessibility right from the start when building a new website.

Anyway... that website is here. You can mostly implement these tips yourself without the help of an (expensive) web builder:

  • Give informative images a good, short and clear text alternative. This is not necessary for images that are decorative.

  • Check that all texts are easy to read: i.e. not too small, in a pleasant font and not in light colours, etc. Sometimes you can adjust the colours of your website through the management environment. Make sure there is enough colour contrast.

  • Do you have a form on the website? If so, don't ask unnecessary questions. Leave out all optional fields.

  • Make sure your site is sufficiently calm. That means, among other things, not too large blocks of text, enough space and no distracting and flashing animations.

  • Do you post a video? Then make sure they have subtitles and that "keyboard shortcuts" are disabled(opens in new window) .

  • Don't use too many bright colours, as this can be less pleasant for people with autism or who are highly sensitive, for example.

Websites are user-friendly for me if there is a clear menu bar at the top. Using speech, I can then quickly find everything.

Iris (18) - can only perceive dark and light
Because of a hereditary condition, she is almost completely blind

2. I am creating a new accessible website myself, what do I look out for?

If you create a new website for your association or foundation yourself (i.e. without the help of a professional web builder), you will of course build it accessible right away. Most builders choose a Content Management System (CMS), of which WordPress is the most widely used. An accessible website is easy to create yourself with a free accessible theme for WordPress(opens in new window) . With such a theme or theme, you control the design of your website.

A few tips if you build the website yourself:

  • Don't put too many moving images like a big slider or a so-called 'hero-video' at the top of the page. These are distracting

  • Add skip links to your website, which allow you to quickly 'jump' to the main article.

  • So-called accessibility-overlays often cause problems, so don't use them.

  • Choose a forms function that also supports the "autocomplete attribute"(opens in new window) .

  • Use headers (H1, H2, H3 and H4). This is also nice for Google, giving structure to your web pages.

And then perhaps the most important tip: talk to your members or other potential visitors. What do they want to find on your website. What do they need? Make choices, because you can't serve everyone.

You would like to develop yourself more, gain more knowledge and build a better social life.

Peter (69) - is visually impaired and hard of hearing
Because of Usher's syndrome, he sees and hears less and less.

3. I let a web builder build my association's website

Okay, you have a budget for the website, big or small. You choose to have it built by a professional web designer. Good! Ask if this web builder is experienced in digital accessibility and let him or her prove it with examples. At DDAI.co.uk/providers, there is a large number of professionals willing to help you create an accessible website.

A few tips for when you let someone else build your website:

  • Inquire whether the web builder wants to attend or has attended a training course on "Digital Accessibility".

  • Let the web builder demonstrate that he or she can create an accessible website.

  • If in doubt, have the design checked by a specialist or expert by experience.

Tell your web builder that digital accessibility is important to your organisation and that the website should meet the 50 success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 levels A and AA).

Because of my disability, I still mostly keep using the sites that do work.

Wilma (60) - sees only about 2%
Because of an eye disease that started when she was 52, she sees less and less.

Is an accessible website expensive?

As a non-profit organisation, you may not have a big budget for your marketing and communications. We understand that. As a foundation, you might depend on grants, donations or contributions from your members. Naturally, you want to spend that money as well as possible. With a digitally accessible website, you show that you pay attention to the people around you. That is a good step and contributes to what people think of your organisation. Google also rewards accessible websites, because it makes your foundation easier to find.

Of course, expensive is a relative term. An accessible website need not cost much more money than an inaccessible one. In fact, the inaccessible website might end up costing you a lot more once it's live*. So it's worth the investment and you'll make a lot of people happy.

Instantly improve your foundation's website in terms of digital accessibility? Then follow one of our training courses or ask our consultants for help. Best of luck!

* Because your website works better for all visitors, you are more likely to achieve your goals. For example, your members will find it easier to register for activities, make a donation or share information with other interested parties. An inaccessible website can also create negative publicity. This can cost you money.