MeAC – Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe

Legislation/regulations

Although there appears to be no direct legislative measure in Portugal that imposes a clear legal requirement on website accessibility, as far back as 1999 the Resolution of the Council of Ministers (RCM) nº 97/99 stated that information layout and presentation in public administration websites (central and local) should allow or facilitate access by persons with special needs. Accessibility should address, at a minimum, the relevant information for understanding and searching the website’s content. This resolution was a response to a “Petition for the Accessibility of the Portuguese Internet” which was claimed to be the first electronic petition submitted to a Parliament in Europe.

In 2000, the team of the ACESSO Unit of the Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Higher Education’s Unit for Innovation and Knowledge (UMIC) published a brochure about “visibility requirements” to support the improvement of the existing public websites. It defined a set of basic accessibility requirements and the inherent technical specifications that allow for visiting the site. The requirements included in the brochure relate to the presentation of information, contact, navigation and conformity (with web accessibility guidelines W3C, presentation of accessibility symbol, etc).

Since then UMIC has carried out various relevant activities:

1. Technical specifications Annex for ICTs Public Tenders;
2. Guidance papers and CD-ROM toolkits (Portuguese translation of WAI guidelines);
3. Provided a web accessibility helpdesk for webmasters;
4. Training on web accessibility;
5. Accessibility Gallery (list of all accessible public sites).

In terms of private organisations, UMIC has made some efforts to introduce accessibility requirements in the banking sector. UMIC has also identified electronic shopping and online press for future intervention in terms of web accessibility standards.

Other measures

Portugal has several national programs that include efforts to improve eAccessibility. Action 1.2 of the National Program for the Inclusion of Disabled People in the Information Society (2003) established a mechanism for monitoring and receiving suggestions and claims concerning public website accessibility and general ICTs used in public administration services.

Under Axis 1: Accessibility and Information, Strategy 1.2 of the 1st Action Plan for the Integration of the persons with Disability or Incapacity (PAIPDI) (2006-2009) there is a measure to guarantee the application of web accessibility standards to all public websites.

Action 2.5.(b) of the National Plan for the Promotion of Accessibility (PNPA) 2007-2015 refers to electronic access to public services. This action is intended to ensure accessibility for people with a disability (namely, people with vision and hearing impairments) to public services available in electronic format.

Action 7.2 of the National Program for the Inclusion of Disabled People in the Information Society is to promote training and incentives regarding Internet usage by disabled people.

From 2000 to 2004, UMIC has promoted several training actions for the webmasters of Public Administration organisations, aiming at the improvement of accessibility provisions for people with special needs. Since 2004/2005, the UMIC gives direct consultancy to the teams responsible for web site/portal development in public organisations during its development and tries to correct some accessibility aspects.

In 2001, UMIC developed training actions directed at the developers of web contents for educational institutions under the e-U projects.

Action 7.2 of the National Programme for the Inclusion of Disabled People in the Information Society has put in operation, with the Government’s support, a network of Internet access places, which includes more than 150 of such spaces created in NGOs working with / for people with a disability. Support structures and relevant technologies for accessibility of a number of municipal internet places have been provided (the rule followed was one adapted personal computer per Internet place). Also, the Government has supported the creation of a network for Internet access, free to all NGOs with activities in the disability field (see www.redesolidaria.org.pt), which includes more than 260 Internet access points and manages more than 70 electronic postboxes.

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