State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen held a speech at the National Congress on Digital Accessibility held recently in Driebergen. She emphasised the essential role of digital accessibility in allowing everyone to participate in the digital society. According to the State Secretary, this is possibly the most important aspect of the Values-Driven Digitalisation Work Agenda.
Van Huffelen also highlighted the importance of physical assistance provided by the Digital Government Information Points (IDOs). Presently, individuals can seek help and information about government services at 680 locations nationwide. Last year, these points received 100,000 inquiries.
The European Accessibility Act
The focus of the congress was the upcoming implementation of the European Accessibility Act in 2025 for private organisations. This legislation, being prepared by the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport (VWS), will require companies and organisations to make their digital services more accessible. To facilitate this, seven Dutch laws have been revised, and six regulatory authorities have been designated to ensure compliance.
Best practices
The congress also served as a platform for sharing best practices in digital accessibility, offering practical advice on creating accessible PDF documents, using sufficient colour contrast on websites, and integrating digital accessibility into organisational operations. This was the fifth edition of the National Congress on Digital Accessibility 2024, organised by the Internet Academy.
