Since 2020, every person with a disability must be able to access all public sector websites and applications. Since September 2020, MP Aurélie Czekalski has been raising questions on this issue in the Brussels Parliament.
However, according to an audit report published in January 2024, half of the tested Brussels public administration websites are not accessible to people with disabilities.
The main findings of the report are as follows:
- Half of the sites have no accessibility statement, or have one that is not accessible or not up to date.
- Four sites do not allow keyboard navigation, making them inaccessible to people with motor impairments.
- No site is fully compliant with accessibility standards.
These results are unacceptable. Public services must set an example when it comes to accessibility. They must ensure that their websites are accessible to all citizens, including people with disabilities.
There is an urgent need to make up for lost time. Concrete measures must be put in place to improve the accessibility of Brussels public administration websites.
Today, only staff awareness-raising and training are planned. Further action is needed against administrations whose websites and applications are not accessible.
The Liberal MP is calling on the Brussels government to take responsibility and act to make public administration websites accessible to everyone.