What is the EU Web Accessibility Directive?

The goal of the EU Web Accessibility Directive is to provide web users with disabilities better access to public sector websites.

Directive (EU) 2016/2102 covers all EU and United Kingdom public sector websites, and defines WCAG 2.1 AA as the minimum standard for web accessibility.

Effective from 22 December 2016, it has varying deadlines for compliance. An accessibility statement is required on all affected websites.

Which parts of my websites are exempt?

There are many complex exemptions including:

  • PDF maps
  • Intranets/extranets not substantially updated before 23 September 2019
  • pre-recorded audio and video published before 23 September 2020
  • live audio and video
  • PDFs published before 23 September 2018 that are not used for an administrative function.

If you have any of the items in this (non-exhaustive) list they should be included in your accessibility statement.

How does Silktide help me achieve WCAG 2.1 AA standards compliance?

Silktide’s platform automatically tests all your websites against the WCAG 2.2 (and WCAG 2.0/2.1) standards, and presents you with remedial actions and educational information to help you become more accessible.

We’re able to automatically test all unambiguous success criteria, and we also cover the mobile device accessibility requirements introduced on the most recent WCAG 2.1 standards.

Our platform also highlights areas of your site that require a manual check, because not every WCAG success criterion can be checked by a computer.

Need help? Get a free accessibility scan of your website

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