The adoption of the European Accessibility Act (Directive EU 2019/882) in 2019 was a big step forward for the inclusion of 87 million persons with disabilities in Europe. The Directive includes common accessibility requirements for a wide range of products and services and ensures that designers and producers of accessible products and providers of accessible services face fewer barriers to operating in the internal market.
European standardization has a key role to play in ensuring the proper functioning of the EU internal market for accessible products and services by developing consensus-based requirements and specifications.
European Standards are powerful tools to promote products and services that people with functional limitations, including persons with disabilities, can use on an equal basis with others. Persons with disabilities and ageing people, among others, benefit directly from a product, good or service that is easy to access, understand and use. Accessibility is also recognized as a human right by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is at the core of the EU Disability Strategy.
ACCESSIBILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT