News
-
2024, the headwinds of accessibility
Websites that are increasingly accessible and, at the same time, apps that are moving away from the objective set out in the law: this great discrepancy, which has already been seen in the past, raises questions
Year on year, the accessibility monitoring of public service websites show ever higher scores: this is the first thing we can learn after four years of assessing their accessibility.
January 15, 2025
-
Finally! The digital accessibility portal available in English
For the frameworks, and in particular the RAWeb, derived from the French RGAA, the exercise consisted in taking up, as much as possible, the terminologies present in WCAG and in the European standard, in order to give the auditors, already familiar with these tools, frameworks, equipped with tests and concrete methodologies, relating to known universes.
January 14, 2025
-
Which sites and apps deserve an accessibility assessment?
In January 2024, in order to assess the digital accessibility of public sector websites and apps, we published for the first time a campaign spanning two years, 2024 and 2025. The aim is to give those responsible for the audited public sites and apps the necessary preparation time, for example in the event of a portal redesign.
December 17, 2024
-
Native apps will become more popular
Jan Jaap de Groot was in Luxembourg last week. We met this recognized Dutch expert in mobile app accessibility.
Chairman of the Appt Foundation, which shares a great knowledge base on app accessibility and offers a dedicated handbook, co-founder of Abra, where he develops accessible mobile apps and offers his services as a consultant, invited expert at the W3C and facilitator of the Mobile Accessibility Task Force, Jan Jaap de Groot was invited to speak on the subject at the GovTech Lab.
November 13, 2024
-
Accessibility at the heart of the CTIE Web&UX service
Nicolas Ambroise, digital accessibility expert at the State Information Technology Center (CTIE), lifts the veil on how digital accessibility is experienced on a daily basis in the Web&UX service.
How does the Web&UX department support its clients to ensure better accessibility? What are the major challenges ahead? Do UX and accessibility go well together? Nicolas Ambroise took part in the Q&A game.
October 25, 2024
-
A first for Luxembourg at a11y Paris
The RAWeb, RAAM and RAPDF frameworks generated clear interest during the event which brought together digital accessibility professionals at the end of June.
In just a few years, it has become one of the essential events for digital accessibility professionals: a11y Paris is indeed bringing together more and more people and the 2024 edition, organized at the Maison de la Radio, did not deny this trend. The Open Data and Access to Information division of the Information and Press Service (SIP) was therefore proud to be able to present its work on the stage of studio 104, in particular its three reference frameworks dedicated to the evaluation of web, mobile and PDF accessibility.
July 3, 2024
-
How much does accessibility cost?
Digital accessibility has a cost. SIP interviewed six public administrations to find out what it costs in terms of resources deployed.
"The means of accessibility": with this title in mind, we interviewed four Luxembourg public authorities - the Centre des technologies de l'information de l'État (CTIE), the Chamber of Deputies, the City of Luxembourg and the Syndicat intercommunal de gestion informatique (SIGI) - as well as two French authorities: Grenoble Metropolitan Council and the Basque Country Agglomeration Community (CAPB), whose sites have achieved a very high level of accessibility.
May 14, 2024
-
Having trouble with RAAM?
The framework for assessing the accessibility of mobile apps is about to get a facelift. But first... tell us how to improve it.
On 21 June, RAAM celebrates its third birthday. This is your chance to tell us about your experience and expectations.
May 6, 2024
-
RAWeb, a framework that really includes everything
The new framework extends the RGAA to fully meet European requirements.
After a framework dedicated to mobile applications (RAAM) published in 2021, then another dedicated to PDF documents (RAPDF) last year, now comes the brand new RAWeb (Référentiel d'évaluation de l'Accessibilité Web). Has the fever for framework taken hold of the Information and Press Service? Why abandon a well-established framework? We'll explain everything in just three minutes, timed.
February 8, 2024
-
From year to year, a less disproportionate burden?
What has been the evolution of accessibility statements on the issue of disproportionate burden in three years?
Public bodies may exempt certain content published online from the accessibility rules on the grounds of "disproportionate burden" when it is
reasonably impossible to make a content or feature accessible
. This wording takes into account the costs that would have to be incurred in relation to the estimated benefit for people with disabilities.January 26, 2024
-
2023: the web is making progress, mobile apps are lagging behind
A number of public websites have performed well, but there is still considerable room for improvement on mobile devices
Fifteen public websites were subject to a detailed accessibility audit in 2023. The trend is positive: the compliance rate stands on average around 54%, six points up on 2022 (48%). 2022 itself had gained four points since the very first audit campaign in 2020-2021.
January 22, 2024
-
Which sites and apps should be audited in 2024 and 2025?
You can react to the sample proposal drawn up by the SIP until 12 January 2024.
The 2023 digital accessibility audit campaign is drawing to a close, and in early January we will be publishing here a summary of the main conclusions we have drawn from this annual exercise. But before looking in the rear-view mirror, the SIP has prepared a sample proposal for the digital accessibility audit frame, for the years 2024 and 2025.
December 19, 2023
-
The lang attribute, to make the page audible... and understandable
One of the simplest accessibility elements to implement is also one of the most overlooked.
In Luxembourg perhaps more than anywhere else, it is not uncommon for the same HTML page to contain words in different languages. Nothing extraordinary: what you hear on the Knuedler is reflected on the web.
October 5, 2023
-
The impact of developer best practices on accessibility
Digital accessibility is becoming an imperative for many companies. Stéphanie Walter, an expert in inclusive design, stresses the importance of choosing the right partner.
Stéphanie Walter began her professional career in Germany, before moving to Strasbourg, where she learned about accessibility. She is now based in Luxembourg, specialising in Enterprise UX. As a consultant for Maltem, she designs complex business interfaces for the European Investment Bank (EIB).
July 10, 2023
-
Few people know that people with disabilities can use digital tools
Geoffrey Crofte is a UX designer at Foyer and puts digital accessibility issues at the heart of his work.
Do creativity and accessibility go hand in hand? Is it easy to make a website compliant? How do we become sensitive to these issues? Geoffrey Crofte was happy to answer our questions. Interview.
May 22, 2023
-
I know what I would not be able to achieve without accessibility
Mario Perčinić has lived and worked in Luxembourg since 2016. With him, we have talked about music, programming, shopping and, of course, accessibility.
Mr. Perčinić is working for the Centre pour le développement des compétences relatives à la vue (CDV) in Bertrange. He is transcriber, adapting books for pupils and students who are blind or partially sighted, in various formats (ePub, Braille or print, to list some of them). He is also a multi-talented musician, plays in a hard rock band The Velvet in Luxembourg, records albums and performs concerts all over the country. Last but not least, he is interested in technology and accessibility of all possible gadgets, which can provide better quality of life to blind people. As a blind person, he gets by in a world that does not always place accessibility at the centre of its concerns.
May 15, 2023
-
PDFs often inaccessible on most visited websites
However, the accessibility of these documents, which are often available in large quantities on Luxembourg's most visited public portals in 2023, is steadily improving
The prevalence of inaccessible PDF files on public websites is a significant problem for people with disabilities. These accessibility issues can completely prevent access to vital information and hinder the completion of administrative procedures, particularly when forms are concerned. In this article, we look at the accessibility of PDF files on the 17 most frequently visited public websites in Luxembourg.
April 28, 2023
-
Tanja Kleut:
Technology is a door opener
In this interview we discuss accessibility, digital barriers and how technology is helping blind people to be more independent in their daily lives
Tanja Kleut is working on digital accessibility at the European Parliament. She has lived and worked in Luxembourg since 2014. In nine years, she has seen the progress made in terms of accessibility in the capital, but also online. Do these improvements enable blind people to live, work, communicate and move around independently? Not yet, there is still a long way to go. She explains us why.
April 14, 2023
-
A toolbox to ensure the accessibility of your PDFs
In addition to the guidelines for evaluating websites (RGAA) and mobile applications (RAAM), the following applies to PDF.
PDF is not new: it is thirty years old. It wasn't until 2001 and the introduction of tagged PDFs that PDFs could be read by screen readers, the necessary interface for the blind and partially sighted.
April 5, 2023
-
Innovations driven by the world of disability
Far from stifling creativity, accessibility has been the source of inventions and products that today meet the needs of everyone
We live in a world of technologies, many of which were originally designed to compensate for disabilities, and some of which were developed by people with disabilities. Their uses have rapidly spread beyond their initial sphere to conquer the general public.
April 3, 2023
-
It's high time for the private sector to get on board, too
In 2025, a new law will come into force extending accessibility compliance obligations
While compliance with accessibility rules currently applies to public service websites and apps, in two years' time the rule will be extended to many areas of the private sector. From June 2025, it will apply to the whole of the European Union, and all e-commerce services as well as sites and apps dedicated to mobility will be concerned, under certain conditions.
February 27, 2023
-
Users still looking for solutions
Complaints about accessibility are rarely resolved
Some users with disabilities take the opportunity to alert the SIP or the Ombusdman about the digital accessibility problems they experience on a daily basis. They are rarely offered an appropriate solution in the short term.
February 24, 2023
-
2022, the year of awareness
Digital accessibility under the microscope: what analyses of mobile apps and public websites have taught us
"Progress, but room for improvement": that's what the report cards of the 110 websites and mobile apps that have undergone a full or simplified audit might read. Of the sample selected for 2022, just over half have achieved partial compliance.
February 20, 2023