Accessibility at the click of a button

Since June 2025, the Accessibility Enhancement Act has mandated that companies provide digital services that are barrier-free. The start-up Eye-Able, a recent addition to ERGO ScaleHub, offers a platform dedicated to digital accessibility, which has been implemented across many ERGO websites this year: fast, straightforward, and inclusive. In this interview, Eye-Able founder Chris Schmidt discusses why accessibility extends beyond mere legal compliance.

Hi Chris, could you provide a brief introduction to Eye-Able? What is your mission, and why is digital accessibility more crucial today than ever?

Eye-Able originated from a deeply personal experience: Oliver Greiner, our co-founder, has a close friend, Lennart, who has only ten percent vision due to a genetic condition. Lennart had to leave university due to the lack of accessibility on many websites. This was the pivotal moment that motivated Oliver to effect change. Alongside his brother Tobias, an experienced developer, and Eric Braun, who brings expertise in economics, we founded Eye-Able with the goal of making the internet barrier-free and accessible to everyone. We believe that education is a human right, even in the digital realm! However, accessibility must transcend education; it should be available in all sectors, from universities to government websites to online retail and ticketing.

To achieve this, we maintain a continuous dialogue with those who encounter digital barriers daily. This close engagement with affected individuals underpins all our initiatives.

With the implementation of the EU's European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the corresponding German Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG), it is now a legal requirement for online services targeting consumers to be designed with accessibility in mind. This finally elevates accessibility to the significance we at Eye-Able have recognised from the outset!

What implications does the new Accessibility Enhancement Act hold for businesses?

The aim of the BFSG is to design digital products and services to be more accessible for individuals with disabilities. It promotes equal participation in the digital landscape, ensuring that no one is excluded due to barriers.

Companies that prioritise accessibility from the outset not only mitigate the risk of potential BFSG violations but also play a vital role in making their digital offerings accessible to millions of individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, accessible design enhances the overall user experience for all website visitors and bolsters the brand image by demonstrating the company's commitment to inclusion.

Accessibility is more than mere legal compliance; it represents a significant stride towards digital equality. For companies looking to cultivate long-term trust and relevance among their users, it also serves as a strategic competitive advantage.

This example from ERGO.de illustrates how easily website accessibility can be optimised using Eye-Able.

How does Eye-Able assist companies in achieving accessibility? How does your solution function?

The Eye-Able platform guides companies through transparent steps towards legally compliant accessibility. An accessible website necessitates a comprehensive and thorough initial analysis, during which we assess the current status through various testing methods. Based on this evaluation, we provide specific recommendations for action and offer targeted support in implementing the necessary adjustments. The ensuing compliance documentation includes the generation of an accessibility statement, and we utilise regular monitoring to ensure that accessibility is maintained over time.

Initially, our software development focused on supporting individuals with visual impairments, hence the name Eye-Able. However, we quickly realised that accessibility encompasses a broader spectrum. Consequently, we have expanded our solution to include an AI tool that translates website content into simpler language, enabling individuals with cognitive impairments to navigate it more effectively.

A key priority is to involve people with disabilities in the website development process from the outset. This is one reason why over 20 percent of our employees at Eye-Able have disabilities themselves. Lennart, Oliver Greiner's school friend mentioned earlier, is now a product tester with us. This diversity of perspectives is not only a passion for us but also a crucial element of Eye-Able's success.

What advantages does accessibility offer your customers beyond legal compliance?

We often encounter the misconception that social responsibility and economic success are incompatible. With Eye-Able, we aim to demonstrate precisely the opposite: it is indeed possible to harmonise social responsibility with entrepreneurial success.

It is becoming increasingly evident that a lack of accessibility is not only a social issue but also a significant loss of market share for companies. A study conducted in 2024 revealed that 38 percent of respondents reported higher sales and conversion rates after implementing accessibility measures. This underscores the importance of dismantling barriers—not only to act responsibly but also to seize economic opportunities.

A recent survey on accessibility across eleven countries indicated that 74 percent of the companies surveyed had lost orders due to a lack of accessibility. This highlights the critical role accessibility plays in business success. By implementing accessible solutions, companies can strengthen customer loyalty, reach a broader target audience, and enhance their image on social media.

An accessible online shop enables companies to expand their existing target demographics, ultimately leading to increased sales. The positive and inclusive impression created by a user-friendly website fosters deeper customer loyalty. Concurrently, a reduced bounce rate minimises abandoned purchases, contributing to higher sales.

Another vital aspect is the conversion rate, which measures how many users complete a desired action on the website, such as making a purchase in the online shop. This rate can be significantly improved through an inclusive user experience. Intuitive navigation, particularly throughout the payment process, plays a critical role in preventing abandoned purchases and boosting conversion.

Accessibility also significantly enhances visibility in search engines. The Google crawler, which scans websites, operates similarly to a person with visual impairments, navigating pages structurally. An accessible website ensures it is more easily navigable for both the crawler and the user, resulting in better performance in search results.

Trust in a company is bolstered by accessible and user-friendly design. The company benefits not only from an improved user experience but also from a positive image, reinforced by the implementation of inclusive measures.

Since this year, Eye-Able has been integrated into numerous ERGO websites, and you are part of the ERGO ScaleHub. What does this development mean for you, and what do you value about the partnership?

The integration of Eye-Able into many ERGO's websites and the ERGO ScaleHub provides us with access to an impressive network and invaluable expertise through your ERGO ScaleHub mentoring programme. This grants us deeper insights into the insurance industry and connects us with the right contacts. The ScaleHub team offers targeted support for scaling and rollouts within international ERGO companies. We eagerly anticipate every new opportunity!

For us, ERGO is not just a partner with extensive reach but also a significant source of inspiration. Collaborating with such a well-established company strengthens our confidence in our vision of promoting accessibility within the insurance sector.

A practical example of the significance of this partnership can be seen in how insurance companies can enhance the accessibility of their digital offerings. By collaborating with ERGO, we can jointly develop solutions that improve access for everyone—sending a powerful message to the entire industry. The partnership between ERGO and Eye-Able exemplifies how innovation and inclusion can go hand in hand.

Interview: Ingo Schenk

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The following links provide information on what motivated the three founding partners, ERGO, Wirtschaftsförderung Düsseldorf and TechHub.K67, to collaborate within the framework of the ERGO ScaleHub. There is also an interview with the very first participating scale-up: CamCom.

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...founded a company – and could you imagine using the network and other advantages of ERGO ScaleHub to grow further? Then take a look at what we offer and what we expect from you: scalehub.ergo.com