Why eGovernment must be accessible

Nowadays, accessible e-government services are more common than they ever were. With the advent of new information technologies, a variety of sectors have moved to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the digital age.

With an aim to making these advances available to the population at large, Spanish parliament passed Law 11/2007, of 22 June, on Electronic Access to Public Services for all Citizens. This law ensures the right of electronic access to the services provided by the government.

This is an important action on the part of government bodies which are seeing the advantages of offering the public online offices that simplify the delivery of services to citizens.

Eliminate the need to travel to government offices to access services

This has a direct and positive impact on people with disabilities, as well as on the elderly community. They are the ones who will enjoy such public services regardless of the limiting circumstances of their environment, eliminating the need to travel to government offices to receive the services they need, and thereby simplifying their life considerably.

But the benefits do not end there; there are other advantages, including user satisfaction in  browsing experience, significant cost reduction, and improved environmental impact.

This no doubt represents a good way to offer society at large an option that facilitates administrative procedures and access to relevant information; and all of which accessed and managed from the comfort of one’s home or any other location, at any time or day of the week.

As it is accessible, e-government benefits everyone by making public services much more efficient. This contributes greatly to modernization and innovation of such services as well allowing them to further adapt to the different needs of the population.

Accessibility in e-government services benefits all of us

And so, accessible e-government services have arrived for good. Now this is a broad concept that encompasses a series of measures seeking the greatest number of benefits for citizens, ensuring end user independence and satisfaction.

For the government, this means that web accessibility has quickly becomea key factor in the development of multi-channel products and services that are inclusive, promote social collaboration and help to bridge the digital gap, bringing us closer to a barrier-free digital world.

As a result, accessibility in online offices has become vitally important, having a direct impact on the entire population. Reaching not only people who frequently encounter barriers in their environment, but many others as well.

That is why we would like to share some recommendations for those wanting to develop truly accessible electronic offices.

8 recommendations in the development of accessible e-government services

Below is a list of eight recommendations we would like to share with anyone looking to develop a website containing an accessible e-government office:

• Always use technology (javascript, applet, activex, etc.) in a manner that is accessible and compatible with products supporting the use of digital signatures or electronic certificates. Be sure to offer other processing options for users who cannot use these methods.
• In forms, it is important for each field to have a descriptive title and to feature optimal accessibility characteristics, correctly associating labels and using the necessary controls. It is also important to include any additional information about the field and for all fields to be grouped together in an appropriate way.
• Any validation errors that arise when entering data should be alerted, and the associated messages must be accessible and be text-based. The idea here is to ensure they are seen by the people who are using the form. If possible, it is a good idea to include a section where users can report any errors that have been detected.
• It is necessary to provide as much information as possible to users and help them to complete the forms correctly without errors.
• Give users the opportunity to review the given information before it is submitted, especially in transactions involving payments, legal formalities, or those containing personal information. This will allow them to correct any errors that arise before submitting the form.
• Activation of form fields must be made possible through the use of the Tab key or different technical aids that promote optimal interactivity. Fields must be independent so that each can be selected and activated using the keyboard, indicating the visual focus where information is to be entered.
• If the form is about to change in appearance or status, if a new window is about to appear or if a new control value is to be used, this must be communicated to the user prior to the change.
• Finally, compliance with accessibility guidelines for all websites is essential. Here is a summary of the most common:
  • Table headings and the relations between cells, data, and titles, must be fully identified.
  • Lists must be identified and marked correctly.
  • Page tutorials must be correctly identified and marked.
  • Any images must contain alternative text.
  • The page’s main language and language options should be optimally identified.
  • Links must contain a descriptive text indicating their functionality and destination.
  • It is a good idea to use relative units in the layout of each page.
  • Use external CSS style sheets in order to apply presentation effects.
  • Any PDF documents must be accessible.
  • Reading or session timeouts are not recommended.

Web accessibility benefits everyone! The use of inclusive digital services and the benefits they bring to all their users makes web accessibility an urgent need that only gains more significance every day.

So, if you are interested in making your online offices fully accessible, contact us! We would be thrilled to help you make the change as simply and as efficiently as possible.