Presentation

What is the "Study on Economic Assessment for Improving e-Accessibility Services and Products"?

The general objective of this Study is twofold: to produce specific micro-level evidence and practical tools that support decision makers of firms and public sector organisations in their assessment of their investments in eAccessibility, and to generate aggregate figures and recommendations that provide policy makers with a view on the order of magnitude of potential benefits and costs for the economy and society as a whole, as well as the mechanisms to boost them.

Objectives

The specific objectives are the following:

• Identify key issues for improving accessibility of mainstream ICT, with a special focus on Web accessibility, and gather relevant evidence on costs and benefits

• Develop and apply a methodological approach for estimating the costs and benefits to improve accessibility of mainstream ICT.

• Propose recommendation for improving accessibility of mainstream ICT with a view to maximising benefits while keeping costs under control.

Scope

The "Study on Economic Assessment for Improving e-Accessibility Services and Products" considers the following aspects:

Micro-level and macro-level

At micro-level, the main objective is to provide evidence and a practical tool supporting investment decisions in eAccessibility, at macro-level, the objective is to provide a view of magnitude of potential benefits and costs for the economy and society as a whole

User's level of analysis and organisational level of analysis

The users' level of analysis considers the perspective of people with disabilities and older people as a general and aggregate target of eAccessibility and calculates the opportunity costs (or potential benefits if accessibility barriers are removed) to the economy and society as a whole. The organisational level of analysis looks at costs and benefits from the perspective of firms and public sector organisations in their role as either employers or service providers.

Mainstream ICT

The Study will address Web accessibility, Digital Television and Self-Service Terminals.

Purpose of ICT use

The Study will address a range of daily life situations and needs where ICT are or can be used, e.g.:

• Work and employment
• Purchase of goods and services
• Access to information of public interest
• Assistance and care, emergency interventions
• Education and training
• Leisure and entertainment, social networking

Background

Accessible ICT open many opportunities for social and economic participation, in particular for people with disabilities and for elderly persons. With the ageing of population, an important and rapidly growing number of people might be included in this group, as functional limitations tend to increase with age.

For these reasons, the EC has carried out several initiatives as the studies "Measuring progress of e-Accessibility in Europe" (MeAC) and : "Monitoring EA eAccessibility in Europe" (MeAC2) that provide a comprehensive overview of the e-accessibility situation in EU countries and reference non EU countries, both on the technology and policy situation.

Also, many stakeholders are active to improve eAccessibility. There is also public intervention on e-accessibility in various countries and at international level, e.g. the recent United Nations Convention on persons with disabilities addressing issues relating to ICT. Despite the efforts cited, the level of e-accessibility remains overall quite poor, and so does it in the EU.