At their core, Non-Governmental Organizations and open-source communities share a powerful, common mission: to build a better, more equitable world. This goal cannot be achieved without taking accessibility into consideration—especially when it comes to web accessibility for NGOs and open source platforms, where inclusivity is essential to reaching and supporting diverse communities. Who needs solutions that are unavailable to them?
People with special needs—16% of the global population—deserve easy, comfortable access to your platform, just like everyone else. This article explores why web accessibility for NGOs and open-source platforms is not just a technical feature or a compliance checkbox, but a fundamental requirement for achieving your core mission and maximizing your impact. You’ll also learn how to start incorporating accessibility into your digital solutions through practical steps and real-world examples.
Would Everyone Feel Welcome at Your Digital Front Door?
Picture this: you establish a local community center in your neighborhood. Its purpose is to provide people with a friendly space where they can partake in free-of-charge workshops and activities. What would be one of your first considerations when making sure your new establishment is accessible to all members of the neighborhood?
You’d probably make sure there is a wheelchair ramp and a functional elevator available for those who need them. You’d also provide visitors with clear signage with high-contrast colors and large fonts, as well as Braille labels and tactile floor markers for individuals with visual impairments. You’d likely also consider audio guides or screen reader-friendly digital resources.
Now apply this same logic to the reality of your website or application, and ask yourself this: Is your digital front door truly open to everyone you aim to serve?
Web accessibility is just as important as its physical-world counterpart, and the lack of it on your platform can and will affect many people, stopping them from ever reaching the solutions you’re offering, unintentionally leaving a part of the population behind.
Why Web Accessibility for NGOs and Open-Source Platforms is Non-Negotiable
An Untapped Market
Improving your platform’s user engagement, expanding your audience, and even boosting your funding all hinge on one foundational principle: digital accessibility.
The need for this is stark—an analysis by WebAIM found that a staggering 97% of the internet’s most popular websites contain accessibility failures, effectively closing the door on a significant portion of the population.
This isn’t just an oversight; it’s a missed connection. Forbes has pointed out that this gap represents a multi-billion dollar market, which for mission-driven organizations translates directly into potential for more donations, increased user adoption, and long-term sustainability. By building accessibility into your digital strategy, you create a more discoverable and navigable platform that engages a wider, untapped community. While this is a clear win for your operational goals, it also champions a more inclusive internet.
Yet, the case for accessibility extends beyond these practical benefits…
Leaving No One Behind
The ultimate goal of any mission-driven organization is inclusion. Digital inaccessibility directly contradicts this principle. It creates barriers that exclude people with:
- Visual impairments who rely on screen readers.
- Auditory impairments who need captions or transcripts.
- Motor impairments who depend on keyboard navigation.
- Cognitive and neurological disabilities who benefit from clear, consistent design.
This is especially critical for NGOs and open-source platforms deployed in low-resource countries. Users there often face situational limitations that good accessibility practices can solve, such as working with low-resolution screens or navigating a site over a slow internet connection. An accessible platform ensures that vital digital tools are usable for everyone, everywhere.
The Legal and Ethical Imperative
Beyond best practice, digital accessibility is a legal imperative. Global regulations, from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US to the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in the EU, legally require your digital presence to be as accessible as a physical building. These laws often use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the technical standard for compliance. With a rising wave of lawsuits worldwide targeting non-compliant websites, awareness is critical. For a mission-driven organization, the fallout is both financial and reputational, striking at the heart of your credibility. In today’s landscape, ignorance is no longer an excuse; it’s a serious liability.
Web Accessibility for NGOs in Practice
The idea of making a platform fully accessible can feel daunting, but it’s about progress, not immediate perfection. The journey begins with understanding the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which serve as the global standard. WCAG has three levels of conformance: A (basic), AA (the most common target for legal compliance), and AAA (the highest level). Aiming for Level AA is a strong and achievable goal for any organization.
Here are a few practical, high-impact steps you can take to begin this journey:
- Keyboard Navigability: Can a user access every button, link, and form field using only the ‘Tab’ key, in a logical order? This is crucial for users with motor disabilities who cannot operate a mouse, as well as for some screen reader users.
- Color Contrast: Text must stand out clearly against its background. Sufficient contrast is vital for users with low vision or color blindness, and it improves readability for everyone, especially on mobile devices or in bright lighting.
- Content Structure: Use proper, hierarchical headings (H1 for the main title, H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections). This creates a “map” of the page, allowing screen reader users to quickly scan the content and understand its layout, much like a sighted user skims headlines.
- Forms: This is critical for donation pages, contact forms, and sign-ups. Ensure every form field has a visible, correctly associated <label>. Clearly indicate required fields and provide helpful, accessible error messages if something goes wrong.
- Descriptive Alt Text: Provide concise, meaningful descriptions for images that convey information. This text is what screen readers announce to blind or low-vision users, turning a silent image into useful context. For decorative images, leave the alt text blank.
Finally, embrace the disability rights principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us.” The most impactful step you can take is to involve people with disabilities in your testing process. Their real-world experience provides insights that no automated tool can ever replace.
Our Accessibility Work in Action
At SolDevelo, we conduct accessibility audits specifically focused on web accessibility for open-source platforms like openIMIS, OpenLMIS, and OpenMRS. Our process is built on a detailed evaluation of compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the global benchmark for an accessible digital experience.
In these audits, we identify key areas for improvement and help our partners drive tangible change—from making complex healthcare forms fully navigable to ensuring that vital supply chain data is accessible to users with visual impairments. Our work showcases a deep commitment to digital inclusivity and ensures that these essential services are open to all.
We encourage you to explore the audits we’ve performed to see the real-world impact of a dedicated accessibility strategy:
- Bridging the digital divide: Advancing digital healthcare accessibility in OpenMRS
- Accessibility testing: How we’re making OpenMRS more inclusive, step by step
- Accessibility matters: SolDevelo’s audit of OpenLMIS
- Improving inclusivity: SolDevelo’s accessibility audit of openIMIS
Are you ready to enhance the inclusivity of your website or platform?
The journey to full digital accessibility is a crucial one, and you don’t have to navigate it alone. If you’re prepared to open your digital doors to everyone and safeguard your organization’s mission, our team is here to help.
Schedule a free consultation with SolDevelo Foundation to discuss your accessibility goals.
