Dissecting the WAD, part 7

This is a 10 parts series examining the WAD. In this 7th part of the series we look at article seven of the directive. The previous parts of this series are:

• Part 1, covering the title and preamble 
• Part 2, covering recitals 1 to 20 
• Part 3, covering recitals 21 to 32
• Part 4, covering recitals 33 to 46
• Part 5 covering recitals 47 to 56 
• Part 6, covering articles 1 to 6

The complete official text of the WAD is available here.

Article 7
Additional measures
1. Member States shall ensure that public sector bodies provide and regularly update a detailed, comprehensive and clear accessibility statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with this Directive.
For websites, the accessibility statement shall be provided in an accessible format, using the model accessibility statement referred to in paragraph 2, and shall be published on the relevant website.
For mobile applications, the accessibility statement shall be provided in an accessible format, using the model accessibility statement referred to in paragraph 2, and shall be available on the website of the public sector body that developed the mobile application concerned, or alongside other information available when downloading the application.
The statement shall include the following:
(a) an explanation concerning those parts of the content that are not accessible, and the reasons for that inaccessibility and, where appropriate, the accessible alternatives provided for;
(b) a description of, and a link to, a feedback mechanism enabling any person to notify the public sector body concerned of any failure of its website or mobile application to comply with the accessibility requirements set out in Article 4 and to request the information excluded pursuant to Article 1(4) and Article 5; and
(c) a link to the enforcement procedure set out in Article 9 to which recourse may be had in the event of an unsatisfactory response to the notification or the request.
Member States shall ensure that public sector bodies give an adequate response to the notification or request within a reasonable period of time.

Public secrtor body websites and mobile applications must contain a clearly and easily found accessibility statement which explains which parts are of the website are accessible, and which aren’t and why not. Further the statement must contain a method allowing a person to notify the public sector body of a failure to meet the accessibility requirements and to request the information that is not accessible. Finally the statement must include the enforcement procedure to use, in case of an unsatisfactory response from the public sectory body.

2. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing a model accessibility statement. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 11(2). By 23 December 2018, the Commission shall adopt the first such implementing act.

The Commission will publish, using an implementing decision, a model accessibilty statement that can be used by websites of public sector bodies.

3. Member States shall take measures to facilitate the application of the accessibility requirements set out in Article 4 to other types of websites or mobile applications apart from those referred to in Article 1(2) and, in particular, to websites or mobile applications covered by existing national laws on accessibility.

Whilst these requirements only apply to public sector bodies, member states shall facilitate their application to content of other types of websites and mobile applications, especially if such content is already covered by national accessibility laws.

4. Member States shall promote and facilitate training programmes, relating to the accessibility of websites and mobile applications for relevant stakeholders and staff of public sector bodies, designed to train them how to create, manage and update the accessible content of websites and mobile applications.

Member states should ensure that public sector bodies have the knowledge and receive the relevant training to ensure the content of their sites and mobile applications is accessible.

5. Member States shall take the necessary measures to raise awareness of the accessibility requirements set out in Article 4, of their benefits to users and to owners of websites and mobile applications, and of the possibility of giving feedback in the case of any failure to comply with the requirements of this Directive, as set out in this Article.

Member states must do their part in raising awareness of the importance of having accessible content and of the possibility for people to make complaints if the content is not accessible.

6. For the purposes of the monitoring and reporting referred to in Article 8, the Commission shall facilitate cooperation at Union level between Member States, and between Member States and relevant stakeholders, with a view to the exchange of best practices between them and to reviewing the monitoring methodology referred to in Article 8(2), market and technological developments and progress in accessibility for websites and mobile applications.

The European Commission shall facilitate at Union level cooperation and exchange of ideas and tools for the monitoring of and reporting on the accessibility of content of websites and mobile applications of public sector websites.

Continue to the 8th part of this series on the accessibility directive.