A Manifesto for Full Digital Accessibility with AccessiWay and FISH
AccessiWay
We are a European digital accessibility company aiming to make the web accessible for everyone.
Access to the digital realm is a right for all: our proposal for sharing rules and objectives. AccessiWay is the driving force for the full inclusion of people with disabilities.
A "Manifesto" is a declaration of principles and objectives. What drives our daily work is something you are already familiar with, and we've shared our Vision with you before. However, now it was the time to share something even more significant: a Manifesto, a collection of content and proposals to help everyone correctly define their expectations for digital inclusion. We aimed to create a document that is easy to understand and can serve as a guiding light, clarifying principles and objectives for the total accessibility of products and services.
The Manifesto for full digital accessibility, announced by FISH (Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicap) and our collaboration for its publication, are concrete examples of how AccessiWay is leading the industry toward a more inclusive future. This Manifesto, which we will soon present to be signed by political leaders, industry pillars, and citizens of Italy, marks a crucial milestone in our action plan. During the event we held in Rome on November 21, the foundations of the document were laid, outlining the true mission of the Manifesto for full digital accessibility:
1. Defend digital accessibility as an engine of inclusion and an inalienable human right.
2. Facilitate the creation of an accessible physical and digital world, supported by a clear and consistent regulatory framework to prevent the daily emergence of new forms of discrimination.
Despite digital accessibility being legally mandatory, the current state of digital touchpoints remains unsatisfactory and contradictory. That's why we must aim for the full implementation of the European Accessibility Act, which advocates total accessibility for all products and services. This is an essential right of over a billion people worldwide with disabilities and specific needs, which is today severely violated. Only about 3% of web resources are truly accessible, while around 90% of websites are unsuitable for assistive technologies. These numbers depict a digital barrier for over 13 million citizens in Italy only. In our country, there are 2 million people with visual impairments, over 3 million with significant functional limitations, 2.5 million with color blindness, 500,000 with epilepsy, 3 million with specific learning disabilities (DSAs), and approximately 7% of adolescents with ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
According to the study we presented in April, very few websites, mobile applications, and digital documents meet 100% of the requirements for full access for people with disabilities.
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The Manifesto for full digital accessibility is necessary for everyone.
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