Publications Office of the EU
Study supporting the review of the application of the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD)
DisplayCustomHeader
MyPortal
eesti keel
BasketSummary
Veebisisu kuva
Publication Detail Actions Portlet

Utiliidid

Publication Detail Actions Portlet
 Kasutaja hinnang
custom-survey-notification
Publication Detail Portlet

Publication detail

Home

Study supporting the review of the application of the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD)

VIGIE 2020-0656 : executive summary in English

Väljaande metaandmed

Web accessibility refers to the fact that “all people, particularly persons with disabilities and older people, can use websites in a range of contexts of use, including mainstream and assistive technologies; to achieve this, websites need to be designed and developed to support usability across these contexts”. Its main purpose is to remove the challenges and barriers which emerge for people with disabilities when using digital information and services on the web or in mobile applications. Accessibility to information and communication technologies is an enabler of rights and a prerequisite for the full participation of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. The web accessibility is a key driver for the development of a knowledge-based society which allows pursuit of economic growth while at the same time ensuring social inclusion. In the context of the Digital Decade, the ambitious target to have all key public services online by 2030, digital transformation has a central role, since it affects all aspects of society and forces public actors to make an extra effort to ensure that digitalisation is fair, equitable, and inclusive. Therefore, web accessibility should be considered not only as a set of tools needed to guarantee the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society, but also, as a fundamental means to enable the respect of human rights for people with disabilities in a digitalised society, in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Web accessibility is crucial for online public services. Since the internet has become the preferred way for governments to provide their citizens with information and public services, persons with disabilities must be allowed to exercise their rights to receive services across the EU and access all the publicly available information stored online. This is possible only if digital interfaces are designed, developed, and maintained in an accessible manner. However, as assessed in the Impact Assessment accompanying the document Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility of public sector body websites, before the adoption of the Web Accessibility Directive, the levels of accessibility of websites in general, including those of public sector bodies, was low. In addition, the market for web-accessibility-related products and services was fragmented and a harmonisation of national measures at EU level was identified as necessary to unlock the unrealised potential of the internal market of web accessibility products and services. In this context, the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) entered into force on 22 December 2016, requiring websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (PSBs) to meet accessibility requirements. The WAD was conceived as a minimum harmonisation Directive as it sets minimum requirements for Member States, in recognition of the fact that the legal systems in some EU countries had already set higher standards or have the right to do so.
Näita rohkem
Näita vähem
ISBN 978-92-76-59328-7
DOI 10.2759/25194
Katalooginumber KK-03-22-199-3A-N
ISBN 978-92-76-59329-4
DOI 10.2759/932796
Katalooginumber KK-03-22-199-3A-C
PDF
ISSN ISBN 978-92-76-59328-7 DOI 10.2759/25194 Katalooginumber KK-03-22-199-3A-N
Trükitud
ISSN ISBN 978-92-76-59329-4 DOI 10.2759/932796 Katalooginumber KK-03-22-199-3A-C
  • Released on EU publications website:
Publication Viewer

Dokumendivaataja

Pop up window annotations