Monitoring eAccessibility in Europe: 2011 Annual Report
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Comparative analysis
This section provides a picture with the comparison between the level of eAccessibility and the policy implementation for the technology domains analysed from both perspectives, with the exception of Non-Discrimination, Employment and Enforcement of public policy, that were only included in the policy evaluation. In general, it is to be expected that those countries which have achieved greater implementation of eAccessibility policies have also achieved a higher level of eAccessibility. The data collected in this study confirm this expectation, because a certain degree of correlation has been detected between the overall levels of eAccessibility reached and the status of implementation of eAccessibility policies in EU countries. The most remarkable exceptions are, on the one hand, Ireland and Italy, where, despite the low levels recorded in the implementation of accessibility policies, eAccessibility levels are high, and on the other hand, Hungary, where the level of eAccessibility is low relative to the degree of implementation of eAccessibility policy. A possible explanation can be that both Italy and Ireland are technology driven countries rather than policy driven ones, where in Hungary, it is clear that it is a policy driven country, possibly by following also the EU policy directions, in practice, its eAccessibility technology is lagging significantly.
Source: Technosite Unit: Percentages Figure . Relationship between the eAccessibility level and the degree of eAccessibility policy implementation Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages The perceived correlation between the level of implementation of eAccessibility policy and the degree of eAccessibility achieved is higher when aggregate data are considered for all countries studied (or the EU countries on the one hand, and the non-EU countries on the other) and when these levels are broken down by the different technology domains studied. There is a clear trend in the sense that the greater the degree of implementation of eAccessibility policy, the greater the level of accessibility achieved in each technology domain. The only significant deviation from the general trend occurs in some technological domains: Computers and Assistive technologies, where the level of accessibility is higher than one would expect from the degree of implementation of accessibility policies in this field; and Internet, where the opposite is found. Possibly, this is because that the policy on Web accessibility is focusing on specific requirements for the accessibility of the Internet content (e.g. W3C WCAG) and not on the processes for making and maintaining the accessibility of a website. However, Internet is very dynamic and its web content changes continually and therefore, policies on web accessibility may need to focus on needed processes to be applied by web page owners for maintaining the accessibility of the web content. Figure . eAccessibility status and eAccessibility policy implementation level in EU countries, by technology Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between eAccessibility level and degree of eAccessibility policy implementation in EU countries, by technology Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages In the technological domain of telephony, the level of implementation of accessibility policies and the level of accessibility achieved can be broadly described as medium. In general, there is a high degree of correspondance between the degree of implementation of accessibility policies and the accessibility level reached in the different EU countries studied, except in the case of countries such as Italy, where it reaches a relatively high level of accessibility, with a very low level of implementation of policies. The opposite occurs in the case of Greece, where, in spite of showing a certain degree of policy implementation, the level of accessibility achieved is very low. Sweden and the Czech Republic also have telephony accessibility levels lower than what would be expected from the degree of development of their accessibility policies in this field. By contrast, Ireland and the Netherlands achieved better levels of accessibility than the degree of development of Telephony accessibility policies would have predicted. Figure . Telephony accessibility status and degree of implementation of telephony accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between the level of telephony accessibility and the degree of implementation of telephony accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages The level of implementation of accessibility policies in the technological domain of Internet, which can be broadly described as medium, is higher than the level of accessibility achieved. The correlation between the degree of implementation of Internet accessibility policies and the Internet accessibility level reached in the different EU countries studied is medium. Levels of Internet accessibility in Spain, Greece and United Kingdom are better than the degree of development of Internet accessibility policies would have predicted, while the opposite occurs in Portugal, Hungary, France, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands. Figure . Internet accessibility status and the degree of implementation of Internet accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between the level of Internet accessibility and the degree of implementation of Internet accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages In the domain of computers, there is generally a negative correlation, with a medium level of accessibility, but higher than expected given the poor implementation of accessibility policies in this domain. That could be because in most cases the computer manufacturers, operating system developers and software developers analysed are not national but international, so levels of accessible technology development are not so closely linked to national initiatives. When data are broken down by country, that trend is reversed in countries like Hungary, Spain, Sweden and Portugual, where there is a good degree of policy implementation, but a lower level of computers accessibility. Figure . Computers accessibility status and the degree of implementation of computing accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages Figure . Relationship between the level of computers accessibility and the degree of implementation of the computing accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages In the domain of television both the degree of implementation of accessibility policies and the level of accessibility achieved in EU countries as a whole are very similar. A breakdown by country shows that the relationship between policy development and real progress in accessibility is clear. However, Italy, and to a lesser extent, Hungary, reached a greater level of accessibility than could be explained by the degree of implementation of the policies of television accessibility in those countries. By contrast, levels of television accessibility in Portugal, Greece and Denmark are lower than expected. Figure . Television accessibility status and the degree of implementation of television accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages Figure . Relationship between the level of television accessibility and the degree of implementation of television accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages Both home environment16 accessibility policies and accessibility levels are generally low. In this case, however, the correlation between the level of policy development and the actual level of accessibility is weak, and a clear trend cannot be established. Ireland and Greece have better accessibility levels than would correspond to the degree of implementation of accessibility policies, and the opposite occurs in Hungary and Denmark, where despite having taken measures to promote the accessibility of the home environment, there are a very poor level of accessibility. Figure . Home environment accessibility status and the degree of implementation of home environment accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between the level of home environment accessibility and the degree of implementation of home environment accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages In the domain of urban environment, both the degree of implementation of accessibility policy and the accessibility levels reached are generally medium. The correlation between the level of policy development and the actual level of accessibility in the domain of urban environment is weak. Sweden, Czech Republic, Ireland and Denmark have better accessibility levels than would correspond to the degree of implementation of accessibility policies, and the opposite occurs in Spain, France, Hungary, Denmark and Portugal, where despite having taken measures to promote the accessibility of the urban environment, the level of accessibility is lower than expected. Figure . Urban environment accessibility status and the degree of implementation of urban environment accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages Figure . Relationship between the level of urban environment accessibility and the degree of implementation of urban environment accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages The educational environment eAccessibility levels and the degree of implementation of eAccessibility policies in this area are, on average, medium. However, these average levels are the result of very different situations in each of the countries studied, and there is no significant relationship between applied policies and the level of accessibility reached. Figure . Educational environment accessibility status and the degree of implementation of educational environment accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between the level of educational environment accessibility and the degree of implementation of educational environment accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages In the field of assistive technologies both the level of provision and the degree of accessibility policy implementation are, on average, high, although this average value, in the case of the degree of policies implementation, is diminished by poor results in Greece, Ireland, France and Italy. Outside the EU, Australia also has a low level of policy implementation in this domain. The situation in individual countries differs, and it has not been possible to identify a clear trend linking progress in accessibility policies in this domain with the levels of provision achieved. Figure . Assistive technologies accessibility status and the degree of implementation of assistive technologies accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages Figure . Relationship between the level of assistive technologies accessibility and the degree of implementation of assistive technologies accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages The implementation of eAccessibility policy in the domain of public procurement and the actual incorporation of accessibility criteria in public procurement are, in general, reasonably developed in the EU countries. There are, however, significant differences among countries. The Netherlands has a better accessibility level than would correspond to the degree of implementation of accessibility policy, and the opposite occurs in Greece and Hungary, where despite having taken measures to promote eAccessibility through public procurement, the results reached are lower than expected. Figure . Incorporation of accessibility criteria in public procurement and the degree of implementation of public procurement accessibility policy, by country Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentages
Figure . Relationship between incorporation of accessibility criteria in public procurement and the degree of implementation of public procurement accessibility policy Source: Own Elaboration, 2011 Unit: Percentage
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