Case Study

Accredited certification used to improve public sector web site and app accessibility

The newly published Spanish Royal Decree 1112 / 2018, which aims to ensure that public sector organisations’ (and other connected organisations’) web sites and mobile device applications have the required accessibility; that the required compliance reviews are carried out with the accessibility requirements in the design, construction, maintenance and update phases; and that these reviews are carried out by an accredited certification body.

“The obliged bodies may certify compliance with the requirements of this Royal Decree in their web sites and mobile device applications by a certification body whose technical competence has been formally recognized by the National Accreditation Body (ENAC) or by another national body according to Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 of the European Parliament and Council 9th July 2008, which lays down accreditation requirements and market security related to marketing products”.

This new Royal Decree’s goal is to ensure equality and non-discrimination of people’s access, in particular people with disabilities and older people; to provide more guarantees and to recognize the value of accredited services as a system to control accessibility requirements. These bodies are the only ones to have proven their technical competence to ENAC: an independent body and declared public utility.

And so, by opting for accredited certification bodies and demanding certificates that include the ENAC mark, the public administration and companies can rely on these institutions having the necessary independence and technical expertise to offer the service, as they have a technically competent staff and an audit team who understand the critical products and processes of the organizations they serve, their specifications and the technological environment in which their activity is carried out.