
Not happy with current measures...
By Andy McCue
Published: 4 April 2005 13:10 BST
Future government IT contracts could be forced to contain clauses that ensure the technology is accessible to elderly and disabled people, according to new proposals by the European Commission (EC).
The EC cites support for the proposals by 90 per cent of respondents to a recent online survey it conducted on the need for "eAccessibility" measures.
The study also found demand for some kind of product certification or "labelling" scheme with 74 per cent of respondents saying IT goods and services need to be made more fully interoperable and that technical requirements should be harmonised within and beyond the EU.
The 500 respondents came from a wide range of public agencies, IT suppliers, universities, business associations and user groups - and 88 per cent said European Union (EU) institutions should take the lead on forcing the issue of accessibility.
The EC said the need for a new approach stems from "lacklustre" deployment of previous EU policy initiatives including those on the accessibility of public websites across the EU.
Information and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said in the report that the proposals would have both social and business benefits.
"Making the information society accessible for all is for me both a social necessity and an economic objective. The more accessible new technologies can be made, the bigger the potential markets for them," she said.
The EC said it will put forward more concrete proposals on IT accessibility in September. The results of the online study can be found here.
Principal Microsoft Architect > One of the worlds leading Technology and Outsourcing companies seek a Microsoft Domain expert to Lead the European ...
Consumer Goods AnalystAbout the jobBusiness Insights publishes a series of strategic market reports that cover food, drinks and ingredients. We ...
My client is a well known and large public sector body looking for a Survey Statistics and Data Development Officer.Reporting to the Head of Survey ...
Agenda Setters 2008
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Mark McDonald CIOs: Go large for services The bigger the better
Stuart Packham Looking for a job? Look no further Five top recruitment trends