Digital Accessibility
We are continually working to improve the accessibility of our website, and to develop our skills in relevant standards and techniques with the help of hired, external experts.
In the fall of 2020, The Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York started a process of reviewing and adjusting the DutchCultureUSA website according to current Digital Access Guidelines. This process is ongoing, and we are continuously reviewing this website.
In previous years, the following steps were taken:
Step 1
On November 11, 2020, DutchCultureUSA received research results from an independent company that checked this website according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines / WCAG 2.1 AA. Follow this link for a full report with the research results of November 20, 2020 (in Dutch language only).
Step 2
On November 30, 2020, the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York hired a design firm and a web design firm to implement the necessary changes according to the research results in step 1 (see above). These changes were implemented by June 15, 2021, and led to an accessibility status of B – Conforms partially, according to Dutch accessibility requirements (“toegankelijkheidseisen”).
Step 3
On May 17, 2024, the status was downgraded to C – First measures taken, as the report on the accessibility and compliance of DutchCultureUSA had become outdated. A new review was set in motion, with the conclusion that the website needed a complete overhaul to adhere to an A Status.
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York hired a design firm and a web design firm on November 1, 2024 to redesign the DutchCultureUSA website from scratch, with the goal to obtain an accessibility A status. The website is currently being developed, with delivery of a first version expected on April 30, 2025. If needed, addition additional improvements will be implemented by June 1, 2025. The website will then be audited to confirm that it has indeed reached an A-Status. This audit will be done by September 1, 2025. Any final improvements will be implemented before December 31, 2025, which is the ultimate deadline for the website to obtain the A-Status.
