Many websites and apps are difficult or not at all usable by people with disabilities for various reasons. In some cases, this even applies to people without disabilities. In a world that is rapidly digitizing, it is essential that we do something about this.

The good news: on June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into force. This will mean that (digital) service providers across Europe will be obliged to make websites and other digital products properly and easily accessible to everyone. In practice, this means that they must comply with the requirements of WCAG.

June 2025 may seem far away, but testing and improving the accessibility of your digital product can take a lot of time. So it's wise to take action and see what aspects you can improve now.

To make this more tangible, I write in three parts about common practical accessibility concerns.

Assumption 3
"This form works well for my users."

A form that looks clear and uncluttered on the surface can still hide a lot of stumbling blocks when it comes to digital accessibility. This can be the case for screen readers and braille users, for example, because it may be unclear which form field belongs to which question. On top of that, long forms with many questions and many answer options are difficult for many people to oversee.

Many websites and apps are difficult or not at all usable by people with disabilities for various reasons. In some cases, this even applies to people without disabilities. In a world that is rapidly digitizing, it is essential that we do something about this.

Another situation that may arise is that forms must be completed within a certain time frame. This usually has to do with login times being limited for security reasons. If a user takes too long, the data already filled in is gone. However, some visitors need more time to fill out a form, for example, because they use a screen reader or are dyslexic. In this way, they are unable to complete the task.

Some examples of common problems with forms:

• The explanation of a form field is in the form field itself instead of above or beside it. The moment user tries to enter something, the example disappears. The user can no longer check if his or her input is correct with the requested input while filling in. Often labels and input fields are not (properly) linked.
• An error message during completion instead of afterwards. An error message is given during the input, while it is not yet clear what the final input will be.
• The error message is singular (the input is colored red, for example) and not visible and audible in three ways (color, with an icon or with spoken text).
• Navigation is only possible with the mouse. Forms must be usable with the keyboard. That means moving through input fields with the tab key, using the keyboard to select radio buttons, check boxes, and so on. The entire form must be able to be completed and submitted using only the keyboard. It is also essential that the order in which this is done is logical, so that people with visual impairments, for example, know where they are in the form.
• A form has too many questions with long, only partially visible drop-down menus.

The solution

You can comply with these concerns by not making forms too long and making sure all form fields have labels so users can understand what information is being asked of them. Also, display clear error messages and validation to guide users when filling out forms.

This blog provides some brief examples. If you're not very familiar with the topic of accessibility yet, I can talk a lot more about this. Keep an eye on my other blogs as well!