Welcome to the Accessibility‑Hub

note

Because we are based in Germany, the explanations in this article are Germany-centric. But the core principles also apply to the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in other countries of the EU.

Hello, and welcome!

I am Dmitry Dugarev – founder of Barrierenlos℠ – and I invite you to explore this blog with me: an Hub for website accessibility, specifically aimed at developers, agencies, and everyone who builds or maintains web products.

What to expect here

So that you know exactly what to expect, here is an overview of what I will document in this blog:

• Compliance Deep Dive: Overview of EAA, EN 301 549 and more – what applies, for whom, and with which conformance levels?
• Practical Implementation with UI Patterns: Semantic HTML, ARIA, pattern library for components (buttons, links, forms, modals, etc.), CSS & JavaScript considerations.
• Glossary: Technical terms – so you can look things up anytime.
• Resources: Our tools, checklists, further links, and more.

The idea is: You receive not only theory, but also practice, so that you can truly design and maintain your web products accessibly.

tip

This blog is continuously being expanded. Check back regularly to discover new articles and updates.

Why does this blog exist?

I am pursuing a dual mission with this blog: Firstly, I want you as a developer or person responsible in your project to be able to handle accessibility safely and competently. Secondly, this hub should provide go-to knowledge regarding EAA / EN 301 549 / WCAG – supplemented by our many years of practical experience from consulting, audits, and implementations.

Why this structure? Because many accessibility blogs are too theoretical or too fragmented. Here you get a consistently structured documentation, step-by-step – practical and understandable.

Why accessibility is worthwhile

Accessibility (a11y) means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them [1].

Does that sound abstract? But think about it: If a website cannot be operated with the keyboard, if images lack alternative text, or if colors contrast so poorly that people with visual impairments cannot recognize anything – then parts of the user community are excluded.

However, accessibility is not just "nice to have":

• It is legally relevant, for instance within the framework of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the standard EN 301 549, and WCAG 2.1 [2].
• It improves usability for all users – not just for people with disabilities [3].
• It can reduce your business risk (e.g., tenders, legal requirements, reputational risk).
• And it is simply future-proof, because web technologies change – but people with and without impairments remain users.

In short: Accessibility is part of good web development — and this blog is here to implement exactly that together with you.

Let's go!

Thank you for reading along. I look forward to filling this hub with life together with you – practical, understandable, and service-oriented.

1. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, “Introduction to Web Accessibility.” 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/ ⤴
2. Europäische Kommission, “Richtlinie (EU) 2019/882 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 17. April 2019 über die Barrierefreiheitsanforderungen für Produkte und Dienstleistungen.” Apr. 17, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019L0882 ⤴
3. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, “The Case for Digital Accessibility.” 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/ ⤴