Starting this week, all websites of government agencies must be accessible to people with disabilities. However, according to Eqla and Passe-Muraille, two Belgian associations that work for people with disabilities, this is far from the case.
In recent months, Eqla and Passe-Muraille have tested various websites of government agencies for accessibility for people with disabilities. This involves, for example, looking up the opening hours of the town hall or applying for a subscription on the website of a public transport company. “Almost all websites have accessibility errors, which make even the simplest procedures very complicated,” the verdict is.
Benchmark is missing
The two associations also complain that there are no sanctions for government services that do not make their site accessible enough for people with disabilities. ‘In contrast to, for example, France, there is no objective benchmark in Belgium to measure the accessibility of websites,’ says Eqla. ‘The authorities that have to monitor public websites are not equipped to do so as foreseen in the European decree.’
Fifteen percent of Belgians have a visual, auditory, cognitive or motor disability and are often confronted with recurring problems in a digital environment.
In recent months, Eqla and Passe-Muraille have tested various websites of government agencies for accessibility for people with disabilities. This involves, for example, looking up the opening hours of the town hall or applying for a subscription on the website of a public transport company. “ Almost all websites have accessibility errors, making even the simplest of procedures very complicated, ” the verdict reads. The two associations also complain that there are no sanctions for government services for not making their site accessible enough for people with disabilities. ‘In contrast to, for example, France, there is no objective benchmark in Belgium to measure the accessibility of websites,’ says Eqla. ‘The authorities that have to monitor public websites are not equipped to do so as foreseen in the European decree.’ Fifteen percent of Belgians have a visual, auditory, cognitive or motor disability and are often confronted with recurring problems in a digital environment.
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