On Wednesday 10 April, the European Disability Forum published a report on the inaccessibility of the websites and digital channels of the seven main European political parties for users with disabilities. In the run-up to the elections, this study reveals gaps that highlight the digital exclusion of people with disabilities from the political process.
The parties involved are the European People’s Party, the Party of European Socialists, the ALDE Party, the ECR Party, the European Greens, the Party of the European Left and Identity and Democracy. The problems identified range from a lack of accessibility features to extremely poor colour contrast, with some sites even removing codes that are beneficial to accessibility.
This report, co-written with the Funka Foundation, aims to raise awareness and encourage concrete action on digital accessibility. It recommends dedicated training for web content creators, the involvement of disabled users in the development of digital interfaces and the adoption of European ICT accessibility standards.
This initiative aims to ensure that political information is accessible to all, thereby preventing the exclusion of disabled people from democratic debate.
To read the study, go to https://aeur.eu/f/bps (original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)