Welcome address
Welcome address by Ján Podolinský, Chairman of the Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union (ÚNSS).
About the conference
Prístupne 2024 was a conference on digital accessibility for people with disabilities. It followed on from last year's Prístupne 2023 conference, which was held online. Digital accessibility enables people with disabilities to use websites and mobile applications fully. The aim of the conference was to bring information about digital accessibility to the widest possible audience. See the Prístupne 2024 conference programme.
The conference was interpreted into sign language. After registration, we sent participants all the important information to their email address. During the conference, participants could ask questions via the Slido app; our speakers answered them in the final block of the conference, or participants received a written answer.
The conference was financially supported by the ČSOB Foundation.
How people could take part in the conference
In person
It was possible to attend the conference in person and meet the speakers and people working on digital accessibility for people with disabilities in Slovakia. The conference took place at the Stará jedáleň Community Centre, address: Pekná cesta 4A, Bratislava. Participants travelling by public transport could take tram number 3 from Račianske mýto, get off at the Pekná cesta stop, walk up Pekná cesta street, and the Stará jedáleň Community Centre is on the right-hand side past the turn-off to Kadnárova street.
Online
We sent all the information about watching the conference online to registered participants by email.
What the Prístupne 2024 conference offered
- Participants gained new information about digital accessibility
- Talks were given by proven experts
- Participants learned what barriers a blind user encounters on websites
- Participants learned what the new Act on the Accessibility of Products and Services (Slovak transposition of the European Accessibility Act) means for e-shops and internet banking
- We explained the difference between manual and automated accessibility testing
- Participants learned how to integrate accessibility into company processes
- We presented news about Corvus, the application suite that makes smartphones accessible
- We showcased new projects - Online tlmočník (online sign language interpreter service) and the Zreportuj neprístupnosť (Report Inaccessibility) project
- And finally, we presented the inclusion activities of Kino Úsmev
The Prístupne 2024 conference was intended for:
- Administrators and owners of websites in e-commerce and financial services
- Administrators and editors of websites of towns and municipalities
- Web developers and web designers
- Website administrators of primary schools, secondary schools and universities
- UX students
- Library website administrators
- People with disabilities who work on digital accessibility
- Anyone interested in digital accessibility for people with disabilities
Programme
Keynote speaker
Address by Susanne Laurin, a pioneer and leader in the field of digital accessibility in Europe.
Accessibility of websites and mobile applications in public administration
The current state of accessibility of websites and mobile applications in public administration compared with previous years. Where has accessibility in public administration improved, and where does it keep stagnating? What are the most common accessibility problems, and why are the results not becoming visible faster?
How to prepare electronic documents so that they are accessible to people with disabilities
Websites also include electronic documents for download. These are mostly Microsoft Word documents and PDF documents. How can electronic documents be prepared so that people with disabilities can read them too?
The answer to accessibility is code
Accessibility is not only an obligation but also an opportunity to welcome truly everyone into the digital world. However, if we are serious about inclusion and especially about equal conditions, we must approach it conscientiously, from the first programming idea to the last mouse click, and that cannot be done without consistently applying the existing rules and standards. The secret lies in the source code. It is precisely the source code that makes it possible to bring the content of websites to every user.
The (dis)advantages of automated and manual testing
What options for automated accessibility testing exist today? Is an automated test enough to test accessibility properly at all? Is manual testing the only "right" way? Together, we tried to find answers to these questions.
A change from 2025 - accessibility of e-shops and internet banking
The talk focused on the Act on the Accessibility of Products and Services for persons with disabilities (Slovak transposition of the European Accessibility Act), which was due to take effect in June 2025 and, among other things, introduced accessibility requirements for websites and mobile applications, including for e-shops and internet banking. Who is obliged to make their digital content accessible to people with disabilities?
How to integrate accessibility into company processes
We discussed the challenges we faced when introducing accessibility into our development processes. We showed how we try to convince clients to keep accessibility in mind, and we also shared practical tips that have helped us make websites more accessible.
Corvus, smartphones, data and dots
Corvus, the application suite that makes smartphones accessible to blind and partially sighted people, had by then been turning smartphones in the hands of blind people into multifunctional assistive devices for more than 11 years. In their talk, the authors of Corvus focused on how important cooperation is in providing accessible information to blind people, and how much many companies and organisations can improve the quality of life of people with visual impairments. They also presented the new Touch4Blind project, which combines smartphone accessibility with the important promotion of Braille.
Online tlmočník - an instant solution for communicating with deaf people
The talk showed how a QR code at a branch or a single click on the helpline logo on a website can give sign language users full communication and access to information as well.
Zreportuj neprístupnosť (Report Inaccessibility) - how to help people with disabilities communicate about digital inaccessibility
Many people with disabilities come across inaccessible elements on websites. If they want to report them to the website administrators, they have to solve several problems - describe the accessibility problem precisely, find a contact on the website to send the description to, and then communicate with the website administrator or developer. We presented our tool, Zreportuj neprístupnosť, which makes reporting inaccessibility easier.
Cinema for everyone?
The talk presented the inclusion activities that Kino Úsmev has been carrying out since 2019 – what motivated the cinema to run an inclusive film programme, what challenges it faces, and how various vulnerable groups respond to its activities.
Lunch
The lunch break was a time for refreshments and informal conversations, not only about accessibility.
Answers to audience questions
Throughout the conference, participants could ask questions about the accessibility of websites or mobile applications, or about legislation concerning digital accessibility - in this part of the conference we tried to answer them. Presenters: Peter Teplický, Monika Miazdrová, Michaela Dlhá, Andrea Dobrotka, Andrej Nemeček.
The future of digital accessibility for people with disabilities
A panel discussion devoted to questions and answers about the future of digital accessibility. Where is digital accessibility heading, and how can, for example, the development of artificial intelligence help it? Panel participants: Peter Teplický, Monika Miazdrová, Michaela Dlhá, Ján Podolinský.
Closing of the conference
Support us
If you like the ideas behind the Prístupne 2024 conference and would like to support our work, you can do so in two ways. Either by scanning the QR code in your mobile banking app and sending the preset (€10) or an amount of your choice, or directly by sending money to the account: SK23 1111 0000 0014 3025 8006, with variable symbol: 1112. In both cases, you contribute to the account of the Biela pastelka (White Crayon) public collection.
Payment via QR code
Through your internet banking, you can support our conference with either the preset (€10) or an amount of your choice.
Registration
Registration for the Prístupne 2024 conference has closed.
Partners
If you like the idea behind the accessibility conference and would like to become our partner, write to us at konferencia@pristupne.sk.
