The final version of the European Accessibility Act (in fact a EU directive) is now available in the Official Journal of the European Union. This piece of legislation has a restricted scope, but is a first step into the right direction to foster better accessibility for disabled people. It is therefore key that EU member States take the necessary steps to implement the directive at national level.
After the European Commission’s initial proposal, Autism-Europe had published a response to the proposal outlining a number of key recommendations to ensure that the specific needs of autistic people are not overlooked in the future Directive.
Autism-Europe also fed into the European Disability Forum’s official response to the legislative proposal.
It followed on from recommendations given to the EU by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to swiftly adopt the European Accessibility Act with the participation of people with disabilities.
For several years now, Autism-Europe has been advocating for EU legislation on the accessibility of products and services for persons with disabilities, highlighting the access needs of people on the autism spectrum.
This video, produced by the European Disability Forum, explains why the European Union need a strong Accessibility Act.