Electronic Accessibility

The term “electronic accessibility” refers to the ability of users to access web content and online services. It involves the design and development of these resources in a way that allows all individuals to use them effectively. This means providing inclusive methods for users—regardless of disabilities—to complete tasks efficiently across various usage scenarios, without barriers.

Persons with disabilities (such as blindness, deafness, or mobility impairments) or learning difficulties (such as dyslexia) who face challenges in using a computer and accessing the internet, often rely on assistive technologies that enhance the quality and consistency of their computer interactions. These technologies can offer alternative ways of perceiving information (e.g., speech-to-text tools) modified content presentation (e.g., font size enlargement, color adjustments) alternative computer interaction methods (e.g., eye-tracking mouse control, specialized keyboards, etc.).

However, assistive technologies cannot be used effectively if websites are not designed, developed, and structured to be compatible and accessible. For example, a person with an upper-limb mobility disability may find difficult the usage of a mouse. A website that only supports mouse navigation, and not keyboard navigation, excludes such users. Similarly, websites that include images or graphics without alternative (alt) text are inaccessible to blind users who rely on screen reading software to access content.

Our Service Activities Include:

  • Identifying assistive technology needs based on each student’s disability
  • Proposing personalized solutions for students with disabilities
  • Procuring assistive technologies
  • Creating accessible computer workstations
  • Collaborating with disability associations, organizations, research centers, and higher education institutions to exchange materials, tools, experiences, and know-how
  • Organizing informational seminars and awareness events
  • Publishing informational brochures
Legal Framework

There is a comprehensive legislative framework that defines the obligations of the state and universities to provide every possible form of assistance to individuals with disabilities. The requirement for equal treatment is a constitutional mandate.

More specifically:

  • The lack of electronic accessibility constitutes direct discrimination against people with disabilities—whether as service users, employees, or job applicants—based on the provisions of Article 10 “Reasonable Accommodation” of Law 3304/2005 (Government Gazette No. 16/A – 27/01/2005).
  • Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 concerns the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.
  • New websites published after 23 September 2018 are required to be accessible from 23 September 2019 onwards.
  • Older websites, published before 23 September 2018, must be accessible by 23 September 2020.
  • The accessibility of public website content is a legal obligation in Greece, based on: Article 5A(2) of the Constitution, Article 9 of Law 4047/2012, Article 64 of Law 4488/2017.
  • Furthermore, Higher Education Institutions are legally required to ensure accessibility for all students with disabilities or learning difficulties, as well as for their staff. This is outlined in: Articles 7.2(c), 8.2(e), 13.2(ld), 34.3, and 48.14 of Law 4485/2017.

Access to information has been recognized by the United Nations as a fundamental human right. As previously mentioned, legislation and directives have been developed by the European Union and national legal frameworks. On a technical level, standardized guidelines for the design and development of electronic accessibility have been established based on the principles of Universal Design / Design for All, in order to overcome barriers and technical difficulties and to ensure equal participation of as many people as possible in the Information Society.

The main principles, guidelines, and standards originate from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which promotes accessibility issues. More specifically, from the WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) of the W3C. The WAI seeks to find solutions for web accessibility for people with visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

WAI has developed a series of standards and guidelines aimed at promoting accessibility and establishing technical specifications for electronic services. Some of these include:

  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 and 2.0
  • Authoring Tools Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG)
  • User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG)
  • XML Accessibility Guidelines (XAG)
  • Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA)

Electronic accessibility depends on the coordinated function of various types of technologies, such as operating systems, device types, browsers, and assistive technologies. Therefore, these guideline standards address various technological domains.

  • For those who develop or design web content, manage websites, or produce and upload content to them, the required standard to follow is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the W3C. This is also recognized as ISO 40500 and has been adopted as a European Standard under EN 301 549.

    The latest and revised version, WCAG 2.1, is an enriched form of WCAG 2.0 and is described as a European Directive in EN 301 549 V2.1.2 (2018-08).

    The standard applies to content development aimed at covering a broad range of disabilities, including:

    • Visual impairments
    • Hearing impairments
    • Motor disabilities
    • Cognitive, learning and neurological disabilities
    • Speech and language disabilities

    While it does not cover all needs for every type and degree of disability, it makes content accessible to a larger portion of the population and lays the foundation and technical specifications for continuous improvement and equal access to information.

    The standard is structured around four core principles. When met, they indicate that a website and its content are considered accessible. These are:

    1. Perceivable – Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
    2. Operable – User interface components and navigation must be operable.
    3. Understandable – Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
    4. Robust – Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

    WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1: Technical Standards and Supporting Documentation

    The WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 are stable technical standards with extensive and detailed documentation. They include 12–13 guidelines organized under the four main principles mentioned earlier. Each guideline includes success criteria, subdivided into three levels of conformance: Level A (minimum), Level AA (intermediate) & Level AAA (maximum). According to the law, all public sector websites must comply at a minimum with Level AA. To support understanding and implementation, several essential reference documents are provided. These include:

    Quick Reference Guide (WCAG Quick Reference) A dynamic and customizable compliance checklist that includes techniques and success criteria for the standard. It is an interactive document, allowing filtering by Level of compliance (A, AA, AAA), Technology used (e.g., HTML, CSS, ARIA), Techniques (sufficient, advisory, failures). Includes examples of implementation to support development teams.

    Understanding WCAG 2.1 A comprehensive guide to understanding and applying WCAG 2.1. Provides detailed explanations of each guideline and success criterion. Describes how each criterion supports different types of disabilities, how it interacts with browsers, assistive technologies, etc. Offers examples, use cases, and links to tools, such as color contrast checkers.

    Techniques for WCAG 2.1 A technical manual titled “Techniques and Failures for WCAG 2.1”. Offers practical coding instructions for developers, including: Successful implementation examples. Common mistakes and how to avoid them. Covers a wide range of web development technologies.

    Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 The main reference document that contains the full set of guidelines. It provides an overarching view of the standard, used as the official baseline for accessibility. Currently, no official Greek translation of WCAG 2.1 exists. However, a Greek version of WCAG 2.0 is available and can serve as a useful reference for Greek-speaking developers and accessibility specialists.

Free Accessibility Evaluation Tools

  1. WAVE – Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
    https://wave.webaim.org
    Provides visual indicators of accessibility issues directly on the webpage.
  2. Accessibility Insights for Web
    https://accessibilityinsights.io
    A browser extension that offers automated accessibility checks and guided assessment.

Accessibility Toolbar

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