In the last 25 years the European Union (EU) has developed a comprehensive disability policy. The ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the EU, in 2010, has been a major driver for the most recent developments. Since then, the EU has identified accessibility as a priority area of action and has used its competence related to the internal market to enact harmonising legislation. This chapter interrogates the role of EU accessibility legislation in fighting social exclusion. It recalls the core tenets of the CRPD accessibility provisions and then provides an overview of the complex network of EU accessibility legislation. Next, it focuses on the most recent directives: the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD), which provides for mandatory accessibility requirements for websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which mandates the accessibility of a range of key products and services in the internal market, including, among others, software, banking services, payment terminals, e-books, and ticketing machines. This chapter concludes by reflecting on the role of the WAD and EAA in ensuring equal access to different goods and services and supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

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The Role of EU Accessibility Legislation in Fighting Social Exclusion of Persons with Disabilities

  • Delia Ferri

摘要

In the last 25 years the European Union (EU) has developed a comprehensive disability policy. The ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the EU, in 2010, has been a major driver for the most recent developments. Since then, the EU has identified accessibility as a priority area of action and has used its competence related to the internal market to enact harmonising legislation. This chapter interrogates the role of EU accessibility legislation in fighting social exclusion. It recalls the core tenets of the CRPD accessibility provisions and then provides an overview of the complex network of EU accessibility legislation. Next, it focuses on the most recent directives: the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD), which provides for mandatory accessibility requirements for websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which mandates the accessibility of a range of key products and services in the internal market, including, among others, software, banking services, payment terminals, e-books, and ticketing machines. This chapter concludes by reflecting on the role of the WAD and EAA in ensuring equal access to different goods and services and supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in society.