A new version of the European Standard EN 301549 on digital accessibility is now available.
This standard presents accessibility requirements and guidelines to support companies, institutions, and organisations interested in ensuring the accessibility of their digital products and services. This is an important step towards making digital technologies more accessible for persons with disabilities across the European Union. It means there are no more excuses: companies must design accessible technologies and comply with the law.
Standards are voluntary as long as they are not integrated or mentioned in legal texts. However, companies and public authorities may use them to ensure that they are in line with EU legislation. We therefore expect it to be widely used.
Previous versions have been used in Europe, as well as in other places such as Canada, Australia, and Kenya to support their accessibility legislation.
What technologies does it cover?
Public and private organisations can refer to this standard when developing technical specifications to ensure that the electronic products and services they buy are accessible to persons with disabilities.
This standard can be used to design a wide range of tech products:
- self-service machines (ATMs, ticketing machines, payment terminals, and others);
- technologies for communication (wheter by voice, real-time text, video, or a combination of these);
- technologies to display accessible audiovisual content;
- websites;
- mobile applications;
- softwares;
- digital documents;
- technologies providing relay services and emergency services;
- information about the products and services.
What is the link with European legislation?
The previous version of this standard is already used to demonstrate compliance with the Web Accessibility Directive, which covers public-sector websites and mobile applications.
The European Commission requested its revision so that it could also demonstrate compliance with the binding requirements of the European Accessibility Act.
Market surveillance authorities responsible for the implementation of EU law shall use this standard to guide them in verifying the accessibility of these products and services. Disability organisations can promote them to show that accessibility is not a vague objective, but a set of practical characteristics that must be put in place.
Next steps
The new version of the standard will be sent to the European Commission to verify that it fulfils all the legal requirements of the Web Accessibility Directive and the European Accessibility Act. If that is the case, the Commission will refer to it in the Official Journal of the EU and it will become a harmonised standard, meaning that it will demonstrate compliance with these laws.
The Commission also requested the revision and development of 5 more standards in support of the Accessibility Act. These standards concern the accessibility of the built environment, design for all, non-digital information, customer services, and accessible emergency communication with the single European emergency number 112.