The Web Accessibility Directive was adopted by the EU in 2016 and obliged public sector bodies, such as those of municipality services, taxes declaration platforms, job search services, education, public health-related services, to make their websites and mobile applications accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Directive set three important deadlines to achieve this:

• by 23 September 2019 all websites created after 23 September 2018 had to be accessible
• by 23 September 2020 all websites have to be accessible
• by 23 June 2021 all mobile applications have to be accessible

Thanks to the advocacy of the European disability movement, the Directive provides strong legal basis for web accessibility with:

• Broad scope that covers all public sector websites, and mobile apps
• A robust enforcement system with feedback and complain mechanisms for users to indicate accessibility barriers on websites and apps.
• The Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services (EN 301 549) allows website and app developers to demonstrate that their products and services meet the requirements of the Web Accessibility Directive. Click here to learn more about this and other European Standards.

To learn more about the Web Accessibility Directive you can:

• Check out the dedicated Web directive website of the Web Accessibility Initiative Communities of Practice (WAI-CooP) project  where you will find Frequently Asked Questions on the Web Accessibility Directive and a wealth of information and resources: www.web-directive.eu
• Read our toolkit on the transposition of the Web Directive
• Check the recording of our online discussion on the Web Directive
• Read the final text of Directive 2016/2102 on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (in all EU languages).

There are simple improvements you can make to make your website communication more accessible to persons with disabilities. Read our 10 Web Accessibility Rules to learn more.