Digital Transformation – The “Design for All” Approach: European Accessibility for The Disabled

Abstract

Both the UN and the European Commission have been strengthening their regulations concerning the accessibility of products and services by persons with disabilities. Although this is not a new topic, the new regulations are designed to be more binding and to reduce remaining inequity between persons with and without disabilities. Although the topic of accessibility is increasingly better understood and discussed in terms of online systems, it applies just as much to more established technologies such as ATMs or the telephone and even to live human interactions. That said, the new regulations do robustly address the online space. In addition, the COVID 19 pandemic has, (because so many societal interactions have moved online), drawn even greater attention to existing barriers. The purpose of this study was to outline the framework of legal regulations referring to this problem and to show and analyse the broader context of the changes that are expected once the European Accessibility Act takes effect in 2025.