European Parliament Vote on European Accessibility Act
On Thursday, September 14, 2017 the European Parliament voted to adopt the European Commission’s proposal for a European Accessibility Act. The Act, which was proposed by the European Commission in December 2015 sets out common accessibility requirements for certain key products and services, which will be underpinned by Harmonised Standards. The aim of the EAA is to improve accessibility of the estimated 80 million persons with disabilities in the EU to services and products such as:
- ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines.
- PCs and operating systems.
- Phones and TV equipment.
- Consumer banking services.
- E-books.
- Transport and e-commerce.
- All payment terminals, e-book readers and websites and mobile device-based services of audio-visual media.
The European Accessibility Act requirements would extend to cover the built environment where the services is provided, including transport infrastructure (e.g. train stations). This will ensure harmonised standards of those member states who do not already have such requirements in place.
It has been agreed that the Act will set out the requirements for accessibility in terms of “functional performance requirements” as opposed to setting out detailed technical specifications outlining how to meet the requirements, which will allow room for innovation.
If you need further information on how to make services and products more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on 01-4151285 or e-mail info@accessconsultancy,ie
