Articles

Are you and your company ready to comply with the new law about accessibility?

In a world that is constantly evolving towards greater inclusion and equality, it is important to consider accessibility in all aspects of our daily lives. Are you aware of the new web accessibility law, which ensure that all users – regardless of physical or cognitive abilities – can access and use digital content without obstacles? With the increasing digitalization of society, accessibility has become a key factor in ensuring that everyone can join in.

Websites need to be designed in an accessible way. Accessibility must also be made available to uploaded content, such as PDF files of reports, publications, annual reports and product catalogs. There may be barriers for people with disabilities unless these publications are designed and developed with accessibility in mind.

For a long time, it has been a requirement for the public sector to meet accessibility standards when publishing digital content on their websites. From June 2025, the legislation will be extended also to apply to private companies with a few exceptions. This marks a new agenda by ensuring equal access to information and documentation for all citizens. This can present some challenges for companies that are not ready for this shift.

But why is all this so important? Partly because it is often forgotten how many people are affected daily by challenges in relation to digital inclusion – and partly because there are a wide range of benefits for companies associated with making their uploaded PDF files accessible.

The statistics speak for themselves: According to the World Health Organization WHO, more than 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. This number is increasing. In Europe, it is estimated that 10-12% of the population lives with a visual impairment that can affect their access to digital information. This can include blind people, people with low vision, color blind people and dyslexics. In addition, there are physical, hearing, linguistic or cognitive challenges that also require information to be made accessible through appropriate formats and technology.

The challenges can be congenital and permanent, and they can also be age-related or be temporary challenges due to illness, concussion or the like.

An example of how to make information accessible and make a difference is the Government’s Health Initiative, which BGRAPHIC has designed. The initiative has a major impact on the everyday lives of all citizens, and not least for people with disabilities. The initiative is written and visualized so that it is inviting and easy to read. However, for a person with a visual impairment, the information becomes difficult to access if it is not made web-accessible via correct markup in relation to screen readers, good contrast ratios between texts and backgrounds and descriptive help texts.

There are many considerations that must be made when designing and subsequently making PDF files technically accessible. The most important things can be boiled down to three bullet points:

  • Developing a design with contrast and good readability of text and graphics, so that it is easy to read for all users.
  • Correctly structuring the content, so that it is read correctly and in the right order by a screen reader. In addition, tagging, so that users can navigate using bookmarks, built-in buttons, menu and table of contents.
  • Descriptive alt texts for images and graphics so visual elements can be understood by users with all types of visual impairments.

In addition to the fact that it will soon be a legal requirement for companies and organizations to meet the standards for publishing digital content, it is also about fulfilling an ethical responsibility. It is also good business. By making the content accessible to everyone, the company expands reach and includes a larger target group. It is both an investment in the quality of life of individuals, and an investment in the reputation and success of the company.

The benefits of making your content accessible range from improved customer experiences, optimized SEO and higher search engine rankings to increased brand value and increased market access.

As a partner and developer of designs for the public sector, BGRAPHIC has extensive experience in both making PDF files accessible and ensuring that the design meets the requirements. We can help you and your company in several ways:

  • Let BGRAPHIC design your publications. We will then take care of all aspects of web accessibility from start to finish in the process – both the visual and the technical requirements. We will ultimately deliver a final file that can be uploaded and published without any problems.
  • Or we can design and develope a template in Word for you. You can then fill in content, text, images and graphics yourself into the template, which has been developed in your visual identity and prepared to support accessibility standards. This way, you get a tool that both helps you in your daily life and at the same time strengthens your digital inclusion and efficiency.

BGRAPHIC has embraced web accessibility and lives by the mantra: Digital inclusion is not just a choice – it is a necessity.

Let’s break down the barriers together and open the door to a more digital future for the benefit of everyone in our society.

20 January 2025