Royal Decree on Web Accessibility now in force… Are you ready?

Spain’s Royal Decree 1112/2018, of 7 September, on the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile applications came into force on 20 September 2018. The aim of these regulations is to guarantee that public sector websites and mobile applications meet accessibility requirements. These organizations include those receiving public funding and agencies working in the educational, healthcare, cultural, sports and social services sectors.

Websites existing before the Royal Decree came into force will be granted a two-year period ending on 20 September 2020 to review preliminary compliance with web requirements; this assessment is to be included in the corresponding “Accessibility Review Report”. In other words, these agencies have less than 10 months left.

In order to facilitate adoption and clarify concepts set forth in RD 1112/2018, the Spanish Web Accessibility Observatory has prepared a series of documents that have been published on this web page.

Of particular interest to public sector bodies is this summary of RD 1112/2018 for Public Sector Organizations, which has been specifically drafted for public and private organisations needing to meet the requirements set forth by these regulations, a significant milestone in the move towards technological accessibility in Spain.

The chart below visually summarises the application timeline for this vital regulation:

As more and more public sector and associated organisation websites adopt the necessary measures towards web accessibility, we are convinced that all businesses will increasingly take into account the fundamental role of web accessibility in good communication and relations with customers and users.