MeAC – Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe

In a nutshell, the results of the MeAC study show that while some progress towards eAccessibility can be detected in Europe, this has not been enough and further measures need to be considered if satisfactory progress in eAccessibility is to be achieved within any reasonable timeframe. Three key benchmarks underpin this conclusion:

The eAccessibility deficit: People with disabilities in Europe continue to be confronted with many barriers to usage of the everyday ICT products and services that are now essential elements of social and economic life. Such eAccessibility deficits can be found across the spectrum of ICT products and services, for example telephony, TV, web and self-service terminals.

The eAccessibility gap: From a comparative perspective, the eAccessibility situation for people with disabilities across Europe as a whole, in terms of both eAccessibility status and eAccessibility policy, compares very unfavourably with that of their peers in the comparison countries examined in the MeAC study (AU, CA and US).

The eAccessibility patchwork: Finally, the situation across Europe for both eAccessibility status and eAccessibility policy is very much a patchwork at present. These patchworks present a picture of many important ‘white spaces’, of uneven attention across the spectrum of eAccessibility themes and of wide disparities across the Member States.

Learn more about each of the three benchmarks by clicking on the bold captions above.