Increasing E-accessibility for older people and people with disabilities
On 31 March, the EU telecommunications ministers concluded that the internet should be made more accessible to older people and people with disabilities. An accessible information society should aim at facilitating access to websites and other ICT-tools to all citizens in Europe. The Ministers agreed that more progress need to be made in this area. The Czech Presidency proposed to include accessibility as criteria in contracts for creating or re-designing websites financed by public funds. The Ministers also agreed with the European Commission’s decision to create an expert group on the subject of e-accessibility and to further encourage dialogue at EU level with the relevant stakeholders.
In order to improve both web accessibility and e-accessibility, the European Commission set out goals to pursue and make full use of instruments at the European level; notably standardisation efforts, financial support for research and deployment of technology solutions in favour of people with disabilities and for elderly persons, and the possibilities of current and proposed legislation. Also, cooperation with Member States and other stakeholders is to be reinforced for a common European approach for e-accessibility, including a new EU high-level e-accessibility expert group to provide strategic guidance.
