Ukraine issues directive to make government websites more accessible for people with impaired vision and hearing

The Ukrainian government passed a resolution obliging state bodies to make all sites accessible per international standards. 

The press service of the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced that content on information resources would become more accessible to people with visual, hearing, or motor impairments, Rubryka reports.

What is the problem?

With the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, the number of people with disabilities increased dramatically, and the problems that existed even before the invasion became even more urgent and obvious.

What is the solution?

How does it work?

The new resolution obliges all state institutions to bring their sites, online portals, and applications into compliance with the latest state standard on web accessibility.

It is developed based on WCAG 2.1 international recommendations (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). The guidelines define how to make online content accessible to a wide range of users.

For people with visual, hearing, or motor impairments, WCAG 2.1 contains rules for sign language translation, text readability features, placement of pictures, etc. They should be used by developers when creating online resources.

The resolution was developed within the National Strategy on Barrier-Free Society, which First Lady Olena Zelenska initiated. Its adoption will help harmonize Ukrainian legislation with international standards on web accessibility.

In February, the WCAG 2.1 guidelines were translated into Ukrainian for the first time. This helps Ukrainian developers quickly create online resources for various users, including people with visual or hearing impairments.

Web accessibility initiatives in Ukraine are implemented with the financial support of Sweden. It was previously reported that representatives of ten public organizations appealed to the central and local authorities, as well as representatives of local self-government, with a request to ensure the inclusive reconstruction of Ukraine.