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Demystifying Digital Accessibility and Fostering Inclusive Mindsets. Compliance with the European Standard for Digital Accessibility EN 301 549

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Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement (EuroSPI 2022)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1646))

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Abstract

Accessibility, the right to equal opportunities for all citizens, is defined in Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Furthermore, Article 21 of the same convention details how the accessibility of information and communications should be ensured in practice. As a result of the convention, international, European and national policies, standards and law have been established, creating a legal and binding framework for compliance. On this basis, this paper considers the goals of the IMPACT (Inclusive Method based on the Perception of Accessibility and Compliance Testing) project. This project aims to define the skills and competencies that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) accessibility educators and mediators should hold for compliance. The paper looks to discuss how to demystify accessibility compliance and, in doing so, how to foster inclusive mindsets through training practices and the European Certification and Qualification Association (ECQA) certification, while noting challenges for audiences and stakeholders. The experience of Koena, a French social enterprise specializing in Digital Accessibility, forms the basis for the paper’s observations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Article 9 – Accessibility (CRPD). Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-9-accessibility.html.

  2. 2.

    See Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe (2015). Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A52015DC0192.

  3. 3.

    See Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–2030. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8376&furtherPubs=yes.

  4. 4.

    See Directive (EU) 2016/2102. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016L2102&from=FR02.

  5. 5.

    See Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1523. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2018/1523/oj.

  6. 6.

    See Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Retrieved from: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/.

  7. 7.

    See Observatoire des métiers du numérique, de l’ingénierie, du conseil et de l’évènement (OPIIEC). Retrieved from: https://www.opiiec.fr/.

  8. 8.

    See Concluding observations on the initial report of France. Retrieved from: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/TBSearch.aspx?Lang=en&TreatyID=4&DocTypeID=5.

  9. 9.

    See Web Accessibility Directive - Monitoring reports. Shaping Europe's digital future. Retrieved from: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/web-accessibility-directive-monitoring-reports.

  10. 10.

    See ETSI EN 301 549 – V3.2.1 - Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services. Retrieved from: https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/301500_301599/301549/03.02.01_60/en_301549v030201p.pdf.

  11. 11.

    See Web Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0. Retrieved from: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-EM/.

  12. 12.

    See En savoir plus sur nos critères d'évaluation – L'Observatoire de la qualité des démarches en ligne. Retrieved from: https://observatoire.numerique.gouv.fr/Aide/Observatoire.

  13. 13.

    See Lejard Laurent, “Accessibilité, autopsie d’un mensonge” (18 March, 2022), Yanous; Moynat Julie, “L’Observatoire de la qualité des démarches en ligne: les objectifs d’accessibilité des sites web publics revus à la baisse” (4 January, 2022), Beaview; Volle Christian, “Petits et gros arrangements avec le RGAA – des audits de conformité difficiles à obtenir et bien peu conformes” (9 July, 2021).

  14. 14.

    See Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C. Retrieved from: https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning/involving-users/.

  15. 15.

    See Section “Scoring outcomes” in the WCAG 3.0 working draft version of 07 December 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag-3.0/.

  16. 16.

    See Report of the United Nations Consultative Expert Group Meeting on International Norms and Standards Relating to Disability. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disberk0.htm.

  17. 17.

    See Web Directive: public consultation response European Disability Forum Position Paper. Retrieved from: https://www.edf-feph.org/publications/position-paper-on-the-web-directive-public-consultation-response/.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been partially funded by ERASMUS+ IMPACT 2019-1-FR01-KA204-062381 and 2017SGR113.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Koena, Argenteuil, France

    Armony Altinier

  2. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Estella Oncins

  3. Forum European Diversity Management, Vienna, Austria

    Gabriele Sauberer

  4. Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Tracey Mehigan

Authors
  1. Armony Altinier
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  2. Estella Oncins
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  3. Gabriele Sauberer
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  4. Tracey Mehigan
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Armony Altinier , Estella Oncins , Gabriele Sauberer or Tracey Mehigan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Murat Yilmaz

  2. Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul Clarke

  3. I.S.C.N. GesmbH, Graz, Austria

    Richard Messnarz

  4. Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

    Bruno Wöran

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Altinier, A., Oncins, E., Sauberer, G., Mehigan, T. (2022). Demystifying Digital Accessibility and Fostering Inclusive Mindsets. Compliance with the European Standard for Digital Accessibility EN 301 549. In: Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P., Messnarz, R., Wöran, B. (eds) Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement. EuroSPI 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1646. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15559-8_42

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