Digital Accessibility Guide – Websites and mobile applications of Greek public administration organisations
The Digital Accessibility Guide for websites and mobile applications of Greek public administration organisations was published by the Secretariat-General for Digital Governance and Procedure Simplification of the Ministry of Digital Governance on 18 May 2023, the World Accessibility Awareness Day.
The main aim of the Guide is to bring the Greek public administration a step closer to achieving digital accessibility in order to allow all Greek citizens, including persons with disabilities, to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Internet.
It is the first attempt of the Greek public administration to draw up a comprehensive, structured, and concise handbook on digital accessibility. The aim is to clarify all relevant concepts, such as usability and inclusiveness, and to provide practical advice and guidance on issues such as the involvement of users in the assessment of digital accessibility.
It is addressed to officials of the Greek public administration involved in the development, updating, and maintenance of their operators’ websites and mobile applications, content developers, and all public administration officials interested in issues relating to the accessibility of their provider’s digital services.
It is expected to be a comprehensive, structured, and concise handbook to understand the key concepts of digital accessibility, analyse its principles, and how to achieve the best degree of accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of Greek public administration bodies to serve citizens more efficiently and inclusively.
For the final drafting of the ‘Guide’, the views were thoroughly studied and the comments submitted in the context of the Open Public Consultation were incorporated by bodies such as the National Accessibility Authority and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities.
Why is it good practice?
The drafting and publication of the Digital Accessibility Guide:
- Contributes to the compliance of Greek public administration bodies with the legislation in force (Law 4727/2020, GG I 184, Chapter H ‘Digital Accessibility’ and Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council), by providing a structured and coherent text in Greek, as well as practical advice on achieving compliance.
- It promotes equality and inclusiveness of citizens as it enhances the understanding and implementation of the key principles of accessibility, thereby encouraging wider participation and inclusion of all persons, including those with disabilities.
- It helps to improve user experience by including guidelines for optimising web pages and applications, thus offering a more efficient and pleasant user experience for all users.
- It expresses the operator’s commitment to providing equal access to all and enhances citizens’ trust in the public administration.
- Promotes innovation and technological development for the development of innovative solutions and applications that will contribute to the assessment and improvement of digital accessibility.
