Statutory basis and legal obligations

Accessibility is a human right, as is accessible communication. This is laid down in international legal frameworks:

• the UN Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) of 2006, the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States as regards accessibility requirements for products and services (European Accessibility Act – EEA) of 2019.

At the national level, accessibility is governed by laws on the equality of people with disabilities, for example.

• In Austria, these include the Federal Constitutional Law (Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz), the Federal Disability Equality Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz), the Federal Disability Employment Act (Behinderteneinstellungsgesetz) and the Federal Disability Act (Bundesbehindertengesetz). In Germany, there is the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz). In Switzerland, there are the Federal Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against People with Disabilities (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz) and the Disability Equality Ordinance (Behindertengleichstellungsverordnung).

In addition, there are regulations defining accessibility for products and services, relating primarily to technical aspects.

• Such regulations include Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and the E-Government Act (E-GovG) in Austria and the accessibility requirements for products and services set out in the Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV) in Germany.

The national accessibility laws, i.e. the German Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG) and the Austrian Federal Act on Accessibility Requirements for Products and Services (Austrian Accessibility Act, BaFG), harmonise the technical requirements defined in the laws on equality for people with disabilities and the requirements according to the EAA.