Ensuring that persons with disabilities have access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural area is a foundational principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) as enshrined in Article 9.

The ratification of the UN CRPD by all EU Member States obligates the national government to ensure the accessibility of the above infrastructure and services and as a result, many accessibility and inclusion measures are regulated by public administrations according to legally-binding instruments. For example, the European Accessibility Act, which was adopted in 2019 is an EU law that sets new EU-wide minimum accessibility requirements for a range of products and services and requires the implementation of the EAA at the national level.

The AccessibleEU is one of the flagships of the European Commission to support Member States in the correct implementation of accessibility standards. AccessibleEU is a resource centre on accessibility, working on the areas of built environment, transport, information and communication technologies, and policies in order to ensure persons with disabilities can participate in all areas of life on an equal basis with others.

To facilitate exchange, learning and avoiding mistakes AccessibleEU will host several sessions on 20-21^st February at the Zero Project 2024 Conference in Vienna. These sessions will provide insights into how to address issues including awareness raising, education, legislation, administration, monitoring and enforcement, success factors and stories, sustainability and financing.

Participation in these events is possible both online and at the Zero Project Conference in the United Nations Offices in Vienna, Austria. Find out more about events below:

Implementing accessibility legislation. Global Experiences and perspectives for Exchanging and Learning

21^st February 17:00-18:45

This engaging evening reception to learn from common mistakes and innovative solutions that seek to enable the EAA and elevate the CRPD and its impact for the European common market.

This session will include perspectives from North America, Africa, Asia and Australia.  

Find out more about the Implementing accessibility legislation here.

This session will be streamed via the Zero Project’s YouTube channel here.

AccessibleEU Workshop: Built Environment and Tourism

22^nd February 10:00-12:00

This workshop will stimulate a discussion and provide insights from professionals around the world on current impediments and further development of Accessibility in Built Environment and Tourism. Conclusions will be transposed into recommendations for regional, national and European decisionmakers.

Find out more about the Build Environment and Tourism Session here.

This session will be streamed via the Zero Project’s YouTube channel here.

Accessibility Standardisation and Policies: from experiences to recommendations

22^nd February 10:00-12:00

Know the key European standards and policies regarding accessibility and be part in further refining and pushing Accessibility legislation and standards within the European Union. The output of this mutual session will contain recommendations for the European Commission.

Find out more about the accessibility and standardisation session here.

This session will be streamed via the Zero Project’s YouTube channel here.

ICT and Digital Transformation

22^nd February 10:00-12:00

This workshop will discuss the implications of the changing policy and legal frameworks on digital accessibility implementation and will collect recommendations to be reported to policy/decision makers.

Find out more about the ICT and Digital Transformation session here.

This session will be streamed via the Zero Project’s YouTube channel here.

Transport

22^nd February 10:00-12:00

This session will identify current impediments and challenges, point out best practices and conclude with suggestions for the advance Accessibility. The latter will be forwarded to respective regional, national and European decisionmakers.

Find out more about the transport session here.

This session will be streamed via the Zero Project’s YouTube channel here.

Event Details:

• Target Audience: Public administration and all stakeholders interested in the European Accessibility Act (EAA)
• Dates: February 21-22, 2024
• Location: United Nations Offices in Vienna, Austria
• Format: Hybrid (In-person and virtual)
• Event Type: Workshop and mutual learning session
• Language: English
• Accessibility: The venue is accessible, with English captioning and ISS international sign system.

These sessions are organised in the framework of the AccessibleEU project, co-funded by the European Commission to support the implementation of European accessibility policies and legislation.

About the AccessibleEU Project:

AccessibleEU is one of the flagship initiatives proposed in the European Commission’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.

AccessibleEU is a resource centre on accessibility, working on the areas of built environment, transport, information and communication technologies, and policies in order to ensure persons with disabilities can participate in all areas of life on an equal basis with others.

Find out more about the project here.