Description (short summary):
The report is an overview of the recent developments in policy and legislation with regard to Design for All (DfA). The purpose of the report is to provide a conceptual framework and guidance for the understanding of policy-related activities in the field, in order to help the promotion of accessibility and DfA in the Information Society.

The issues discussed are potentially relevant to the promotion of accessibility and for the applications of Design for All principles or assistive technologies. The main idea in the report is to identify those policy and legislative areas that in the present reality are relevant for the implementation of DfA. Consequently, the structure does not follow that of a full legal system. Only those areas have been discussed which appear to be relevant for the time being.

In addition to the general policy context, the report discusses non-discrimination, employment, Information and Communication Technologies, protection of privacy, public procurement, copyright, eServices and the provision of assistive technologies.

It is recommended that the concepts of accessibility, eAccessibility, Design for All, assistive technologies and related concepts should be promoted and studied further in the context of the general idea of the Information Society, and specifically realised in everyday applications in various contexts, including policies and legislation.

Number of pages:
30

Nature of documentation: Independent reports and studies