Oh, who is exempted from EAA? Since the EN Mandate references EAA starting in June 2025.
Only organizations under $2M and under 10 employees - but it doesn't remove responsibility for any products, content, or services they create and send/share to other groups.
Intl. Assoc. of Accessibility Professionals, a division of G3ict
Original Message:
Sent: Jun 03, 2024 02:56 PM
From: Samantha Evans, ICE-CCP, CAE
Subject: Big news -- Canada has adopted EN 301 549:2021 on 31 May 2024 (Digital Accessibiity)
Vendors MUST provide how they adhere to the Web Accessibility Directive (now WCAG 2.2) in supports, partially supports, or doesn't support for all success criteria - both desktop and mobile applications.
Businesses that sell to consumers must ensure the vendor products they use and their content/services are accessible.
In the EU:
The Directive obliges websites and apps of public sector bodies to be "more accessible". There are a limited number of exceptions that include broadcasters and live streaming. A technical standard supports the directive, clarifying what is expected by the term "accessible".
The Web Accessibility Directive requires:
- an accessibility statement for each website and mobile app, stating non-accessible content and alternatives as well as contacts;
- a feedback mechanism so users can flag accessibility problems or request information published in a non-accessible content;
- regular monitoring of public sector websites and apps by Member States, and reporting on the results to the Commission every three years.
The EAA requires:
The European accessibility act covers products and services that have been identified as being most important for persons with disabilities while being most likely to have diverging accessibility requirements across EU countries.
The Commission consulted stakeholders and experts on accessibility and took into account the obligations deriving from the UN convention on persons with disabilities. These products and services include:
- computers and operating systems
- ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines
- smartphones
- TV equipment related to digital television services
- telephony services and related equipment
- access to audio-visual media services such as television broadcast and related consumer equipment
- services related to air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport
- banking services
- e-books
- e-commerce (ahem, if you sell a thing, this is you)
If a person lives in Canada, this applies. Full stop. All products and services must be digitally accessible.
If an event is in Canada, this applies. Full stop. All products and services must be digitally accessible.
PDF Documents: PDF/UA 1.0 until later this year, then will be PDF/UA 2.0
EN 301 549 focuses on an agreed upon set of technical standards - there is no ambiguity like in the ADA (even with the 508 refresh) and it applies to both public and private sectors (private sector is the EAA or European Accessibility Act/EU Directive 2019/882).
The agreed upon technical standards are the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) and the European Accessibility Act (June 2025 deadline). This includes documents, videos, call centers, websites, and mobile apps. And guess what's NOT included...those widgets/overlays/plugins that claim to solve for accessibility with one line of code that put that Vitruvian man in the circle?
Either your digital technology is BUILT with disability lead guidance to provide a barrier free experience for disabled people using their technology of choice or you are not supporting the requirements of WAD and EAA.
Disability, as defined by the Accessible Canada Act, means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment - or a functional limitation - whether permanent, temporary, or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person's full and equal participation in society.
All of Accessibility Standards Canada's standards development work, including the work of our technical committees, is carried out in recognition of, and in accordance with, the following principles in the Accessible Canada Act:
- all persons must be treated with dignity regardless of their disabilities;
- all persons must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have regardless of their disabilities;
- all persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their disabilities;
- all persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire, regardless of their disabilities;
- laws, policies, programs, services, and structures must take into account the disabilities of persons, the different ways that persons interact with their environments and the multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization and discrimination faced by persons;
- persons with disabilities must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures; and
- the development and revision of accessibility standards and the making of regulations must be done with the objective of achieving the highest level of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
We are well past the time to push our vendors to build, support, and deliver accessible products and services.
23rd of September 2018: - The Web Accessibility Directive entered into force
23rd of September 2019: - Deadline for new websites to be accessible
23rd of September 2020: - Deadline for existing websites to be accessible
23rd of June 2021: - Deadline for mobile apps to be accessible
23rd of December 2021: - EU Member states report their monitoring results to the European Commission
23rd of September 2022: IAAP Playlist: EU Webinar Series & Events: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8nIY-v0zG73DJ2WP1klPOTWO7pV6rQnY (includes information on the EAA)
23rd of September 2023: IAAP Playlist: Celebrating the Web Accessibility Directive Third Anniversary https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8nIY-v0zG71xXUqkwXEy_roPu01YlIeo
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Samantha Evans, CAE, ICE-CCP, MBA (she/her)
The Accessible CAE
sam.evans@accessibilityassociation.org
Certification Director
Intl. Assoc. of Accessibility Professionals, a division of G3ict
Original Message:
Sent: Jun 03, 2024 10:35 AM
From: Joan Eisenstodt
Subject: Big news -- Canada has adopted EN 301 549:2021 on 31 May 2024 (Digital Accessibiity)
Thank you, @Samantha Evans, ICE-CCP, CAE, for providing so much invaluable information about digital and other access. I will read more at the links you provided (thank you for those) and knowing I'm about to provide a BIG ask, thank you in advance for what you can do - probably in bits and pieces. If what I am asking is a) already known to/understood by others, apologies for taking up time/space for the asks; and b) may be further explained in the reading, please, Samantha, say that. YOU comprehend all this because it's what you do day in and out. For those of us who don't and want to ensure greater understanding and practice, others, like me, may need more.
1. Would you please for some of the law's provisions post a few examples about how this impacts what Canadian associations must ask of vendors and what vendors must provide for associations' websites and for meetings presented in whole or in part, virtually?
2. For US associations who have Canadian members or whose meetings are available virtually in Canada - or who meet in Canada, what may apply?
Tho' I have many more questions, I suggest those of us who work in different areas of association management both share this with appropriate others with whom we work and post to the different ASAE communities to which this applies.
If my questions are the wrong questions, please "fix" them with your answers.
Last: is anything like this in committee in the US House or Senate?
Thanks.
Joan
------------------------------
Joan Eisenstodt
Principal
Eisenstodt Associates LLC
Washington DC
(202) 737-7890 x202
Original Message:
Sent: Jun 03, 2024 09:59 AM
From: Samantha Evans, ICE-CCP, CAE
Subject: Big news -- Canada has adopted EN 301 549:2021 on 31 May 2024 (Digital Accessibiity)
If you know me I've been on a high repeat about digital accessibility and the European standards - that require proof of accessibility on the part of the vendor to sell/do business with organizations in the EU (that's really high level).
Last week was Access Week in Canada, and the Canadian government has adopted the EN procurement standard for ALL OF CANADA.
This standard applies to all private and public sector organizations in federally regulated sectors. It addresses the following:
Functional performance: Requirements to make sure that all users can:
- locate, identify, and operate ICT functions,
- access information provided about ICT functions, and
- have access to the full functional performance of ICT regardless of physical, cognitive, or sensory abilities.
- Generic requirements: Requirements for ICT functionalities that allow all users to adjust settings or install software.
- ICT with two-way voice communication: Requirements for:
- audio quality,
- encoding and decoding two-way voice communication, and
- limits for frequency ranges.
- ICT with video capabilities: Requirements for how ICT displays video with synchronized audio. For example:
- display of captions,
- preserving caption data,
- a mechanism to play available audio description,
- the synchronization of audio/visual content, and
- user controls to activate subtitling and audio description as the primary media controls.
- Hardware: Requirements for the physical aspects of technology.
- Web: Requirements for content and systems that are provided on web pages.
- Non-web documents: Requirements for all documents that are not web pages and are not embedded in web pages.
- Software: Requirements for digital aspects of:
- platforms,
- user interfaces,
- authoring tools, and
- assistive technology.
- Support services: Requirements related to support services, including, but not limited to:
- help desks,
- call centres,
- technical support,
- relay services, and
- training services.
- ICT providing relay or emergency service access: Requirements for relay services to:
- enable users of different modes of communication (e.g. text, sign, speech) to interact remotely through ICT with two-way communication; and
- provide conversion between the modes of communication, normally by a human operator.
The standard: https://accessible.canada.ca/en-301-549-accessibility-requirements-ict-products-and-services
Summary of the standard including sign language: https://accessible.canada.ca/en-301-549-accessibility-requirements-ict-products-and-services#s2
Press release: https://www.canada.ca/en/accessibility-standards-canada/news/2024/05/accessibility-standards-canada-adopts-the-globally-recognized-accessibility-standard-for-ict-products-and-services.html
------------------------------
Samantha Evans, CAE, ICE-CCP, MBA (she/her)
The Accessible CAE
sam.evans@accessibilityassociation.org
Certification Director
Intl. Assoc. of Accessibility Professionals, a division of G3ict
------------------------------