Why is Accessibility Important? – Meetup Poznań

At Kiwee, accessibility is a part of our mission to create inclusive digital experiences. Recently, we had the privilege of attending the Accessibility Meetup in Poznań, where industry experts and enthusiasts gathered to share insights about accessibility and discuss the future of accessibility in digital products.

One of the most interesting presentations, given by Alicja Midga, was titled "Neurodivergent People in the World of Digital Products." Key points were:

• avoid time limitations (“My brain itself creates time pressure for me, I don’t need any external pressure”)
• avoid automatic pop-ups
• avoid “sharp” colors
  additional instructions e.g. in the forms are helpful but they should be concise
• visual consistency is crucial – “Why on this page is the logo in a different format?” – people start investigating in their head why there was a change and distract themselves from the main process

What is the European Accessibility Act?

The event also featured a discussion panel titled “Accessibility Oscars for 2024 and Plans for 2025”. During the discussion panel, we heard about the newest innovations in the accessibility world such as eye trackers or self-guided mobility aid robots.

The topic of the European Accessibility Act, which takes effect starting from June 2025, was also discussed.

The European Accessibility Act is a directive that aims to enforce a given accessibility level for products and services in the European Union (EU) including websites, mobile applications or e-commerce platforms. Read more about the European Accessibility Act and who does the act apply to.

While the EU Accessibility Act is a step forward, the general conclusion during the discussion panel was that we shouldn’t expect a sudden “jump” in the accessibility level on the web. It will rather be a gradual process of improvement and increasing accessibility awareness among business owners over the years.

Conversations and Insights

The meetup provided a valuable opportunity to connect with a lot of professionals. A conversation with a City Hall of Poznań
representative shed light on the challenges of auditing and maintaining accessibility compliance. As a public institution, they need to comply with WCAG standards since 2021.

Additionally, we discussed how achieving accessibility is only part of the equation, maintaining it over time is equally important. This was exemplified by cases of banking apps that initially met accessibility standards but became less usable as updates rolled out without proper testing.
At Kiwee, we use tools such as pa11y to perform accessibility testing as we are committed to integrating accessibility into every stage of our projects.

The meetup in Poznań was an inspiring reminder of why accessibility matters and we are more determined than ever to create digital experiences that are inclusive for all.