The Art & Opportunities of Digital Inclusion

The group of people with disabilities is broader than you think: people with physical disabilities, those sensitive to stimuli, but also older adults who need to continue understanding what is happening.

To clearly define who the people in your target group(s) are, you can create personas. These are clusters that combine certain characteristics, such as living situations, desires, and needs. This helps you internally but also externally, for example, to brief volunteers or website developers.

Research where your target groups are active. For example, young people are more often on TikTok and LinkedIn, while older adults are more commonly found on Facebook. Adjust your strategy and tone of voice accordingly to these different target groups and channels.

Even if your strategy differs per channel, ensure that every message you share reflects your core values. Updates are not just practical; they are always an opportunity to make clear what you stand for.

To make your website and social media readable for everyone, digital tools like screen readers (braille displays) or subtitles for videos are indispensable. But their use is a means, not an end in itself. They only become truly valuable when you continue to engage with experts by experience.

A lot of text on your website is useful for Google, but not for your visitors. Use less text but more clear buttons, visuals, and calls to action. Add ALT texts to images and buttons where necessary to explain what the image shows and where the button leads.

Even if your content is accessible to everyone, it's still important to address people online correctly and understandably. Try to implement B1-level language in your communication policy (this also applies to partners supplying content/information).

Tip: Never use the word ‘handicapped.’ You talk about ‘valid arguments,’ but you don’t use it for people with feelings and dreams. Just call it what it is: a physical disability.

Participating in digital activities becomes easier if you make the first step as small as possible and the follow-up steps clear. Lower the threshold by, for example, offering a first activity for free, at a discount, or as a giveaway. Or involve the family or environment of your target group so they can take the first (and therefore most exciting) step together. Make registration as simple as possible: with clear buttons, payment information, and the link to participate on the same screen. Provide a helpline that people can call if they encounter technical obstacles. A clear manual with screenshots of all the steps participants go through during the activity can also help.

Making something accessible is a verb with no endpoint. The world changes. You can't finish something now and think it's good enough forever. Fortunately, you have an entire target group that can serve as a test panel, whether it's for a new website or an entire digital strategy. Let them review and provide feedback on every adjustment.

Making something accessible is a collaborative effort. Don’t just talk to people within your organization; look outward as well. Talk to operational staff and policymakers, but also to your audience and (potential) partners. Partners are useful for reaching target groups that you (still) don’t reach yourself. But always ask yourself whether your partners share the same values as you do.

If you include people with disabilities in your team, it becomes much easier to involve them from the outside. Digital transformation requires organizational change. So do it right from the start!