3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities #PositivelyPurple

Web accessibility for better togetherness

Julia Undeutsch
Julia Undeutsch

1 min read

The Vienna district where I live organizes an event called “Miteinander in Mariahilf” (en.: Together in Mariahilf), where locals can contribute different ideas for a better living together. The best idea is even rewarded with a prize.

This is where my specialty web accessibility comes into action. Let me share my thoughts.

My district - Mariahilf

I have lived in Mariahilf for 15 years and I love it here. Mariahilf has stood for DEI for as long as I can remember: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. It is a cultural district, known for its many gay bars, women from this district are invited every year to participate for free in the Vienna Women's Run, and no other district celebrates Pride Month as hard as we do.

Good neighborhood is especially lived and supported in Mariahilf. This is also shown by the initiative that promotes living together in the district - this year for the first time with the Mariahilfer Neighborhood Award (in German).

My Idea - Web Accessibility

How could I contribute to making Mariahilf an even better place? Well, what I know is the web, so why not make websites and applications for services in the district as accessible as possible?

So I want to offer my knowledge of web accessibility to at least ten businesses, like movie theaters, cultural centers, etc., places where people come together, and make their websites and apps as accessible as possible for free. I know that, for example, some apps of the cinemas we have in our district are not fully responsive and therefore not easy accessible, so I think this is where I would start.

What do you all think of this idea? Would this contribute to good neighborhood and respectful living together and bring people together in shared activities?

Update: October 20th, 2022

Unfortunately, my idea was rejected before the voting had even started. I guess because of another misconception. “Web Accessibility only helps businesses, not people in the district”.


This article was originally published at dev.to/yuridevat