wcag 2.1 accessibility rules
Below are the basic accessibility principles of the WCAG 2.1 standard:
Perception
The user interface, i.e. a website and its content, must be presented in such a way that it can be used with the available senses of a given person. You must create content that can be presented in various ways, e.g. with photos, diagrams, tables, instructions or videos, which will include subtitles, audio description or even sign language. Allow the user to use appropriate background colors, change contrast, font size, etc.
Functionality
User interface elements, such as navigation, forms, sound, video, and animation, must be usable with a mouse, keyboard, touch screen, or other assistive devices. Implement breadcrumbs to help users determine where they are currently. Users should also be given enough time to read, process, and understand the content (e.g., automatically log out or go to the next page or step). In long articles, such as the one you're reading , anchors should be used for individual sections of the article.
Intelligibility
The interface and its content must be understandable to every user. You must create content that is legible and easy to understand. Words that may be ambiguous, unknown or used in a given profession should be explained. Enrich the content with illustrations, charts, videos or animations that will help understand a complex description, ongoing skype database processes or understand a historical event. Divide long content into sections and mark them with appropriate headings. Increase the line spacing and reduce the width of the area where the content is located, adjust the page content to the device window without having to scroll the image. Add alternative texts to images - the ALT attribute. In forms, add improvements that will help avoid errors and correct them, e.g. using labels, instructions, suggestions.
Solidity
The user interface must be compatible and correctly interpreted by various user agents and assistive technologies. Improve HTML, CSS, JS code - it must be error-free and semantically correct.
EAA European User Agent Accessibility Act
The EAA (European Accessibility Act) is a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) that entered into force on 27 June 2019 and is one of the most important documents regulating accessibility for people with disabilities in Europe. The act aims to ensure better access for people with disabilities to goods and services throughout the European Union. The document specifies the minimum accessibility requirements that products and services must meet in order to be sold and offered in Europe. The act also requires EU member states to regularly monitor and report on their progress in implementing accessibility requirements.
The main objective of the European Accessibility Act is to improve the situation of people with disabilities in Europe by providing better access to products and services. It also aims to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to digital technologies, allowing them to fully participate in society and the economy.
This act is also an important tool for companies and organizations, as it requires them to ensure that their products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. This means that companies and organizations that offer products and services in Europe must ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, which increases their reach and accessibility to a wider audience.
The obligation to apply the new requirements will apply to companies and economic entities offering products and services listed in the EAA Directive, in order to avoid social exclusion caused by the unavailability of products and services that prevent independent use by people with disabilities.
In Poland, the European Accessibility Act is coming into force gradually. The first deadline for its implementation was 28 June 2022 for public entities, and 28 June 2025 for private entities. However, in March 2022, the European Commission decided to extend the entry into force of the EAA for public entities until 28 June 2025.
In Poland, the implementation of EAA requires extensive activities, including the development of appropriate legal regulations, training of public and private sector representatives in the scope of EAA requirements, as well as conducting accessibility audits of websites and mobile applications. The introduction of EAA aims to improve digital accessibility for people with disabilities, but also to improve the competitiveness of enterprises and increase the number of digital services available to all users, regardless of their abilities and skills.
The European Accessibility Act sets out a series of accessibility requirements that products and services must meet in order to be sold and offered in the European Union.
