Improving digital accessibility at the UWV

An essential starting point is understanding and framing the target audience. Many deaf people communicate in sign language. A sign language interpreter can be used on a variety of occasions, including medical, social, educational and work-related situations. I most often use interpreting services at work.

In the Netherlands, deaf or hard-of-hearing salaried employees are allocated 15% of their working time for interpreting hours by the UWV. With my 32-hour work week at Unc Inc, I am entitled to 232 hours of interpreting per year, an average of 19 hours per month. I use these hours for meetings, workshops and interviews. But after about 7.5 months, these hours are used up. Imagine not being able to interact with colleagues or clients from this point on, and not being able to follow what's going on in the workplace. I then have to request additional hours through a complex online form on the UWV website, which has become routine.

Forms are often designed according to policy guidelines, with no attention to user experience. As a result, they become difficult to use, contain confusing labels and progress bars, and are not suitable for mobile devices. About 1 in 6 Dutch peoplehave difficulty with reading, writing and/or arithmetic, and among the deaf this percentage is as high as 68%. Complexity in procedures can create barriers and limit accessibility, leading to a lack of access for these groups.

I'll walk you through the process of how to apply for (additional) interpreter hours and give tips on how best to format a form.

Step 1-2: Introduction & statement of intent

The introduction, at 264 words, is quite complex. It includes a detailed explanation of the purpose of the form, how the complicated saving process works with 4 different options to close, save and reuse the form. It also describes what happens after the application and how I can callthe UWV for more information while applying for interpreter hours.

Tip: Keep it short, clear and simple.

Step 3: Personal Details

After logging in with DigiD, personal information is filled in. An important aspect is the mandatory phone number, which may raise questions about the purpose of this requirement. As a deaf person applying for interpreter services, could I be called? My experience by now is that when a phone number is mandatory, I get called.

Tip: If a phone number is really crucial, explain that the UWV may contact you via SMS, or give the user space to indicate how they would like to be contacted.

Step 4-5: Specify application and my situation

In this step, you can choose between different services, which can be confusing. A deaf/hard-of-hearing user comes here by requesting interpreter hours and is then asked if they need transportation, assistive devices (such as furniture or orthopedic shoes), a writing or sign language interpreter, or an intermediary.

Tip: Focus your form on one specific goal, not multiple goals at once.

Step 6: What kind of interpreter provision

At this stage, you have the opportunity to choose from a variety of interpreting services, such as interpreting services for work, education, or interpreting hours for private situations. A crucial aspect is that you can only request additional hours if your current balance is 5 hours or less. Given the high frequency of my use, this runs out quickly. This makes it difficult for me to plan ahead for (essential) matters concerning interpreting.

Also, the user must indicate what kind of contract they have, only the essential information is hidden behind an information icon. For example, if the user has a 0-hour contract, it can be difficult to indicate how many hours per week they will use a sign language interpreter.

In addition, my experience is that the request for additional interpreter hours for work is rejected by default. Therefore, I would like the opportunity to properly justify my request. However, the input field for additional explanation has a limited length of no more than 512 characters, equivalent to two Tweets.

Tip: Make important information immediately visible and keep it simple and understandable. A form should allow for extensive explanations, possibly with examples, so that it is clear to users how best to formulate their request and what is expected of them.

Step 7-9: Additional data, medical information and attachments

If necessary, you will be asked to send (additional) medical information within 14 days. Nowadays it takes more time to make an appointment with a medical specialist to arrange things.

Tip: Give the user enough time to gather needed information.

Optimizing forms with clarity, simplicity, and understanding of the target audience is important for a successful and accessible application process. The above only applies to requesting interpreter hours for work; similar forms for private and educational situations are also complicated.

Tips for a good form in brief:

• Know your target audience and determine essential information.
• Explain why certain information is required.
• Use a clear progress indicator.
• Make error correction easy.
• Keep the design consistent for a predictable experience.
• Use clear and simple language.
• Explain what happens when the form is closed.
• Offering several contact options is icing on the cake. Some deaf people prefer text-based communication, such as chat, SMS, or WhatsApp, while others prefer sign language. Also, make sure there is the option of calling through a sign language interpreter.

*At the time of writing this article, after five years of consistently requesting additional interpreter hours, I have finally received an additional 100 hours structurally. This means that for the next few years, as long as I work at Unc Inc, I will receive a standard 100 hours on top of my 15% in hours.

Questions about accessibility?