Longford businesses at risk of penalties if websites are not made accessible

Longford businesses at risk of penalties if websites are not made accessible as a new report by Inclusion and Accessibility Labs (IA Labs), commissioned by the National Council  for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), has found that 73% of Ireland’s Top 100 companies have inaccessible  websites.

This means that hey cannot be used by the 600,000 people in Ireland who live with a  disability.  While accessibility adoption has been sluggish across a number of sectors, notably education,  healthcare and housing, there has been some positive movement with 27% of the top 100 Irish  companies having taken steps to improve their website accessibility, despite not yet being legally  obligated to do so.  

The current legislative position means that under EU Web Accessibility Directive 2020, public sector  websites are mandated to meet the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines  (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard, and ensure that they can be accessed by all users, regardless of ability. More recently, however, this legislative mandate has been extended, under the European  Accessibility Act, to businesses in the private sector so all websites, digital assets and applications of  private sector bodies must be fully digitally accessible by June 2025. With 73% of Ireland’s Top 100  companies failing the test, it is clear businesses based in Ireland have just eighteen months to ensure  that their content is digitally accessible – or risk facing legal penalties.  

The Digital Accessibility Index 2023 audited the accessibility of websites using a standardised testing  process, across a number of key sectors; Government, education, manufacturing, healthcare, retail,  technology and professional services. Each website audited in the report, has been allocated a pass  or fail mark, based on its level of accessibility. The passing criterion ensures that any user living with  a disability, can access every part of the website section being tested; and could use and interact  with the elements of the website.  

The research was launched recently at NCBI’s Training Centre in Drumcondra, by Minister for Trade  Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary TD. Some of the research by the Digital Accessibility Index 2023 showed that 73% of the websites of Ireland’s Top 100 companies are inaccessible, with an average of 38  accessibility issues per site  ,27% of the top 100 Irish companies have taken steps to improve website accessibility but  housing, healthcare and education sectors are lagging behind ,95% of the websites of education institutions (universities, public and private secondary  schools) have inaccessible websites  ,17 of Ireland’s top 20 public and private hospitals websites are inaccessible  ,Just three of eight political parties audited have accessible websites – a marked  improvement from 2021, when no political party passed the accessibility criteria  and 80% of real estate and housing associations websites are not accessible 

Chief Executive Officer at IA Labs and Chief Technology Officer at the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, Kyran O’Mahoney said: "The findings of the Digital Accessibility Index 2023 demonstrate  that, while tangible progress has been made, we still have a way to go towards becoming a fully  inclusive society, where digital spaces are accessible to all. With the forthcoming European  Accessibility Act, the clock is ticking for many businesses across Ireland, who must now work to  ensure that their websites and mobile applications can be accessed by all users. Technology is the  single greatest enabler for any person living with a disability; and for businesses, having a fully  accessible website ensures that you can reach every single customer. Digital accessibility is a win-win.  

Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary said: “I welcome the  publication of the Disability Accessibility Index as a means to help enterprise and the public sector  alike identify where they can improve to make their information more accessible to people with a  disability and help move us closer to achieving a more equal and inclusive society.