Navigating the Accessibility Act (Don’t Panic, It’s All Good)
What is the Accessibility Act (BaFG)?
On June 28, 2025, the Accessibility Act (Barrierefreiheitsgesetz - BaFG) will come into effect in Austria, requiring certain companies to meet accessibility standards. These standards involve a set of criteria that digital products must fulfill to be considered accessible according to WCAG guidelines, ensuring legal compliance in the future.
Why Is Accessibility More Important Than Ever?
As more services move exclusively to the digital realm – from online shopping to booking appointments at the hairdresser or doctor—the impact on essential services that help people participate in society grows. Legislators are keen to ensure that no group of people is excluded. This isn't just about individuals with congenital disabilities, but also the many people who acquire disabilities throughout their lives or experience temporary limitations.
For instance, screen readers must allow blind or visually impaired users to easily consume digital content. Texts, images, and navigation elements must be clearly structured and properly marked so they can be read aloud by screen readers. Additionally, important videos should include subtitles to support those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Other accessibility measures could involve optimized color schemes for users with color vision deficiencies or simplified language to support individuals with cognitive impairments. These examples demonstrate that accessibility is not just a technical issue; it requires a holistic approach to ensure full inclusion in the digital world.
Does the Accessibility Act Impact My Business?
For businesses offering digital services, this should be a genuine concern – not only because of legal obligations but also because it's about eliminating barriers and ensuring equal access for everyone in the online world. However, only specific companies are legally required to ensure accessibility. These are:
Businesses offering B2C services (e.g., e-commerce platforms, ticket or event bookings)
Companies with at least 10 employees
Companies generating an annual turnover of more than 2 million Euro
Companies with existing service contracts as of June 28, 2025 are subject to a five-year transition period (§ 37 para. 2 BaFG).
Nevertheless, the responsibility goes beyond legal requirements. Accessibility is an issue that affects anyone concerned with the usability and long-term success of their digital products. Good usability means ensuring that as many users as possible – regardless of their limitations – can easily access and interact with your service.
Moreover, improving accessibility often offers additional benefits. For example, accessible websites enhance user-friendliness and often improve visibility in search engine results. Just like with sustainability, accessibility measures not only demonstrate social responsibility but can also provide business advantages. Accessible digital offerings are a win-win: they benefit users while allowing operators to expand their reach and improve customer satisfaction.
What Does This Mean for My Digital Product?
To meet WCAG accessibility standards, it’s essential to optimize several aspects of your digital product:
Perceptibility: Content should be presented in a way that all users can perceive, such as by ensuring sufficient contrast, adjustable font sizes, and adding subtitles to videos.
Usability: Your website or app must be easy for everyone to navigate. For example, users should be able to navigate the entire site using only the keyboard.
Robustness: Content should be designed to be compatible with a broad range of devices, operating systems, and assistive technologies, ensuring it works in the future.
Interactivity and Feedback: Interactive elements such as forms and buttons should be clearly labeled, easy to use, and provide immediate, clear feedback (e.g., error messages that are also readable by screen readers).
Content: Content should be clearly structured and written in a way that’s understandable for all, even for users with cognitive limitations or language barriers.
Each of these categories involve a range of specific requirements that can be systematically addressed. For new websites, it's advisable to integrate these principles directly into the development process to ensure accessibility from the start. Existing websites, however, can be analyzed using our checklist or through our comprehensive accessibility audit to identify potential issues.
If a website is far from meeting accessibility standards – both visually and technically – a complete relaunch may be the best approach. This not only allows for a thorough integration of accessibility features but also provides the chance to modernize the site and ensure it’s future-proof.
Next Steps: How to Begin Optimizing for Accessibility
There are many free online tools that can give you an initial assessment of your website’s accessibility. One example is Google’s PageSpeed Insights, which not only measures a page’s loading speed but also highlights accessibility issues. This tool offers an overview of your site’s current accessibility and points out areas that might need improvement. While these tools provide helpful insights, they only scratch the surface and shouldn’t replace an in-depth review by experts.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that accessibility and branding consistency can go hand in hand. Accessibility and design are not mutually exclusive – in fact, they complement each other. It’s entirely possible to create a website that is both visually appealing and highly user-friendly. A well-designed, accessible website can even boost your brand image by demonstrating that your company values inclusivity and strives to provide an equal, positive experience for all users.
If you have any questions or uncertainties about navigating the Accessibility Act or ensuring your digital products are inclusive, we're here to help. Feel free to reach out.
Further Readings:
https://www.wko.at/barrierefreiheit/start
https://www.wko.at/ce-kennzeichnung-normen/informationen-zum-barrierefreiheitsgesetz
Sources:
https://www.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVII/I/2046
Image: Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao https://unsplash.com/de/fotos/weisse-und-blaue-neonlicht-beschilderung-LkCEb1LwGXA
