STICHTING ACCESSIBILITY

Their core work

Stichting Accessibility is a Dutch NGO dedicated to digital accessibility — ensuring that websites, mobile applications, and digital services are usable by people with disabilities. They contribute expertise in W3C accessibility standards, EU accessibility legislation (Web Accessibility Directive, European Accessibility Act), and practical tools for evaluating and improving web accessibility. They also support the open-source software ecosystem through work on software quality, security, and internationalization within the Next Generation Internet initiative.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2017–2019), Stichting Accessibility worked broadly across the open internet ecosystem — contributing to FOSS quality, software security, internationalization, and standards alongside accessibility. By 2021, their focus sharpened significantly toward digital accessibility regulation and compliance, with direct engagement on the Web Accessibility Directive and European Accessibility Act. This shift reflects the maturation of EU accessibility legislation and the organization's move from general internet governance toward specialized regulatory implementation.

They are moving toward practical implementation of EU accessibility regulations, making them increasingly relevant as the European Accessibility Act enforcement deadline (2025) drives demand for compliance expertise.

How they like to work

Stichting Accessibility operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for specialized NGOs that bring domain expertise rather than project management capacity. With 22 unique partners across 10 countries in just 4 projects, they plug into broad European consortia and connect with diverse partner networks. This makes them easy to integrate into new consortia as a focused accessibility expert without overhead.

They have collaborated with 22 unique partners across 10 countries, indicating strong pan-European connections particularly within the W3C/WAI community and the Next Generation Internet ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Stichting Accessibility occupies a rare niche: a dedicated accessibility NGO with direct involvement in both W3C standards development and EU policy implementation. While many organizations treat accessibility as one feature among many, this is their entire mission. For any consortium needing credible, regulation-aware accessibility expertise — especially around WAD and EAA compliance — they are one of very few specialized organizations in Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WAI-Tools
  Their largest funded project (EUR 335K), developing scalable assessment tools for web accessibility — directly tied to W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative.
• WAI-CooP
  A coordination action building communities of practice around the EU's accessibility directives, positioning them at the intersection of policy and implementation.