Equality / anti-discrimination
Policy approaches based on equality / anti-discrimination legislation have considerable potential in the eAccessibility field. Such approaches can provide people with disabilities – individually or collectively – with a right to seek redress if they are confronted with inaccessible ICT equipment or services, either in relation to ICT-based goods and services in a general sense or in relation to specific usage contexts.
Legislation/regulations
The recently revised (2001) Hellenic Constitution provides that “everyone has the right to participation in [the] Information Society” (Article 5A, Section I). The facilitation of access to information that is transferred electronically, as well as the production, exchange and dissemination of this information, is an obligation of the State. However, the main framework equality legislation is Law 3304/2005 which transposes the EU equality directives.
Goods and services equality
Apart from the constitutional commitment on the right to participate in the Information Society, there is no direct legislative prohibition of discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the disability ground.
Employment equality
The Employment Equality Directive has been transposed into Greek law through Law 3304/2005. This law implements the principle of equal treatment irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, religious or other beliefs, disability, age or sexual orientation and incorporates the provision on reasonable accommodation as stated in the Directive. The law establishes a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation and includes an obligation on employers to adapt their buildings and workplaces to accommodate the needs of disabled people. However, it does not yet seem to have been invoked specifically in relation to eAccessibility issues.
Education
There do not appear to be any specific initiatives in relation to eAccessibility of education.
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We are interested in receiving any corrections and/or additional information that may help us to update or improve our understanding of the current state of affairs in this country concerning the consideration of accessibility issues in the framework of anti-discrimination policy. This may concern information on relevant legislation, other policies and/or the level of accessibility actually achieved. Please enter your contribution in the “Leave a Reply” box below or send an e-mail to meac at empirica dot com.
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