In the age of digitalization, the concept of accessibility extends beyond physical infrastructures like elevators, ramps, and audible signals at traffic lights. Digital accessibility ensures that individuals with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the internet.
The United Nations, in its 2006 Human Rights Convention, even defines unhindered access to information and communication, including the internet, as a fundamental human right. Studies by Aktion Mensch reveal that the internet is used more frequently by users with disabilities than by those without and that over 75% of all websites are not digitally accessible.
Therefore Eye-Able’s® vision is clear: “An Internet for All.” To realize this goal, the company is committed to continuous research in the field of digital accessibility with relevant institutions and people with disabilities.
Eye-Able® conducts workshops, delivers lectures on the topic, and fights daily for greater online accessibility and inclusion. Their efforts are not just about compliance; they are about ensuring that millions benefit from a more inclusive digital world. With over 15 million monthly users and more than 1500 clients, the profound impact of their work is clear.
“Digital inclusion is a matter of the heart” - Oliver Greiner
The story behind Eye-Able®
The story behind Eye-Able's® commitment to digital accessibility is deeply personal. It’s shaped by the experiences of its CEO, Oliver Greiner, with individuals with disabilities. Oliver’s close friend Lennart, who is part of the Eye-Able® team as a Usability-Tester, has a genetic visual impairment that allows him to see only about 10%. His impairment led to Lennart struggling to continue his studies in university and in the end even to dropping out of college.
Oliver’s direct exposure to the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities on websites inspired him to find solutions to these everyday problems. Eye-Able® collaborates closely with relevant institutions like the German Blind Institute in Würzburg, universities and disabled people. This collaboration ensures that their software solutions genuinely assist those who need them. Their inclusive development approach, in tight coordination with these institutions, has led to the creation and continuous optimization of their offerings.
Empower everyone. Through digital inclusion.
The Eye-Able® accessibility service is to be understood as a holistic approach that improve the accessibility of websites and help create a more inclusive world for all. To achieve that goal Eye-Able® has developed three software solutions
The Eye-Able® Audit for BITV/WCAG allows users to independently check the current accessibility status of a website. This feature not only shows which part of a website can be improved, but also how to achieve the improvement. The exact problem is marked so that the location of the error is directly visible on the website.
Eye-Able® Report regularly scans the entire system and all sub-systems for WCAG compliance. It provides an overview of all problems in that area, sorted by category and severity. Accessibility and errors can also be displayed graphically.
Eye-Able® Assist includes a read-aloud function, which allows the content of a website to be read aloud. It is also possible to navigate the site according to individual needs. The colour filter enables people with red, green or blue deficiencies to see colour differences more easily. In total, the assistive software offers over 25 additional accessibility features.
The company also offers BITV and WCAG conformance testing, training and workshops. The software is easy to use and makes it easy for website operators to provide an accessible website.
The Internet should be a place that is accessible to everyone, and that is the goal the company has set itself. In the past Eye-Able® has already helped countless people navigate the digital space and, in some cases, even made it possible for them to do so in the first place. By breaking down these barriers, the company helps open doors and enables everyone to reach their full potential. Eye-Able® will continue to do all it can to create an inclusive and accessible digital world where no one is left behind. After all, it's not just about technology, it's about people and their individual potential and freedom.
Posted 20 March 2024
