Web Accessibility Directive

The Directive on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications also known as Directive (EU) 2016/2102 was adopted by the EU in 2016. [1] This only applies to public sector bodies, but the member states of the EU needed to turn this legislation into national law by 2018. The goal was to ensure that all public sector organizations were accessible for the 80 million people with disabilities in the EU.[2]

This EU Directive gave each member state until September 23 2018 to be transposed into national legislation.[3] Each member country is responsible for implementing national legislation that conforms.[4][5]

Contents

The Directive does the following:

  • addresses websites and apps of public sector organizations;
  • refers to specific standards, such as EN 301 549;
  • requires the publication of an accessibility statement for websites and mobile apps;
  • calls for a feedback mechanism for users to flag accessibility problems;
  • expects regular accessibility monitoring and corresponding public reports by Member States.:[6]

Timeline
  • September 23 2019 - all new public sector websites must conform
  • September 23 2020 - all public sector websites must conform
  • June 23 2021 - all mobile apps must conform[7]
  • December 23 2021 - member states' websites will need to be monitored and publicly reported[8]

The EU's new European Accessibility Act complements the Web Accessibility Directive and applies to the private sector, thus impacting a much larger number of people.

References
  1. "EDF Toolkit on the Web Accessibility Directive".
  2. "The European Web Accessibility Directive". 3PlayMedia.
  3. "EU Directive on the Accessibility of Public Sector Websites and Mobile Applications".
  4. "How we're helping public sector websites meet accessibility requirements". UK's GDS.
  5. "Ireland's National Disability Authority: EU Web Accessibility Directive". Ireland's National Disability Authority.
  6. "Web Accessibility".
  7. "Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies".
  8. "Shaping Europe's digital future POLICY Web Accessibility".


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