“Access for all” is the competence centre in Switzerland and neighboring countries for barrier-free technology access and use. The foundation sees itself as a mediator between users with disabilities and providers of digital information and services.

In addition to this core competence, the foundation is also committed to raising awareness, training and imparting knowledge on the subject of accessibility. Innovation in the field of assistive technologies is also part of the foundation’s purpose. Moreover, the foundation regularly conducts studies on the status of accessibility in Switzerland.

We are committed to digital inclusion in a variety of ways.

Our fields of activity

Mission of the foundation

“Access for all” is committed to technology access and use by people with disabilities in Switzerland and the Principality of Lichtenstein. Initially supported by institutions of the blind, the needs of blind and visually impaired people are still a central aspect.

For a while now, the needs of the other types of disabilities have also been recognised and represented in terms of information and communication technologies.

Today, “Access for all” requires consideration of all types of disabilities in its accessibility requirements. The foundation’s mission statement is: “Promoting the use of technology for people with disabilities”.

The “Access for all” foundation:

• sensitises business, science, authorities, and politics to the needs of people with disabilities in the field of technology and electronic information transfer;
• promotes the use of technology for the disabled by developing and offering educational measures, training methods and user documentation;
• supports and promotes the development and adaptation of equipment for the disabled in the areas of work, home, leisure, and mobility;
• monitors, analyses and documents developments and trends in the field of technology as a competence centre and maintains cooperation with disability and professional organizations in Switzerland and abroad.

Foundation board

The Foundation Board currently consists of five persons; it supervises the purposeful activity of the foundation and provides suggestions as well as professional support.

• Prof. Dr. Roger Gassert, Foundation Board Director, Full Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich, Head of the Rehabilitation Engineering Lab ETH Zurich
• Claudio Dionisio, Owner of Dionisio Consulting, Director sminds AG, Member of the Board of Directors at Digital Excellence Group AG, President QSK, Swiss Certified Web Project Manager
• René Moser, Managing Director Blindenhaus Zurich
• Dr. Christopher Müller has been one of Switzerland’s leading usability experts for over 20 years. He earned his doctorate at the ETH and is, among other things, the founder and owner of Die Ergonomen Usability AG
• Dr. Franziska Ryser recently completed her studies at the Rehabilitation Engineering Lab at ETH with a doctorate. She is also President of the Board of Directors of the family-owned Ryser Optik AG in St. Gallen, a member of the National Council and Vice President of the Green Party of Switzerland.

From its foundation in 2000 until 2021, the foundation board of “Access for all” was chaired by Prof. Dr. Dr. Helmut Krueger, Prof. em. ETH Zurich for Ergonomics, head of the former Institute for Hygiene and Occupational Physiology.

Serving accessibility since 2000

The “Access for all” foundation was formed in 2000 out of an urgent need for action: the topic of web accessibility was little known, both among the public and among experts.

Arnold Schneider, himself blind, founded the foundation with the vision of making Switzerland more digitally accessible.

In 2020, we celebrated our 20th anniversary. We look back on two decades with numerous innovations in the ICT sector and also in the area of digital accessibility. Due to the rapidly advancing digitalization, we continue to see a great need for action and will continue to advocate for better digital accessibility in the future in accordance with our foundation mission.

You can find out more about the milestones in the history of “Access for all” in our anniversary flyer.

Awards

Swiss ICT «Special Award» 2010

Every year, Swiss ICT, the professional association for information and communications technology, presents the Swiss ICT Award, “an important and well-known prize beyond Switzerland for first-class ICT services and products provided by Swiss companies”.

In addition to the awards in the three categories “Champion,” “Newcomer” and “Public,” a “Special Award” was presented for the first time in 2010. This award recognises organizations that stand out for their particularly commendable commitment.

The “Special Award” 2010 went to “Access for all”.

CSS Foundation Award 2009

The CSS foundation awards the foundation prize to “pioneers” whose work aims to make other people’s lives easier. In this context, we were honored for our commitment to making modern technologies in the workplace, office and home usable for people with disabilities.

Canne blanche 2008

The Canne Blanche award, the prize of the Swiss Association for the Visually Impaired, goes to “Access for all” in 2008. With this award, the Swiss National Association for the Blind SZB recognises the important work of “Access for all”.

Knights of communication 2007

“Access for all” was awarded the Knight of Communication 2007 by Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger for its activities to promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for people with disabilities. The competition is organised by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) and is under the patronage of Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger. It honors projects that make a special contribution to the information society.

Support us

In order to fulfill our foundation’s purpose, we finance ourselves to a large extent by providing paid services. In addition, “Access for all” relies on the support of donors, patrons, sponsors, and other supporters. Do you also want to support us and our activities? We will show you your support possibilities.