AccessibleEU’s first year: 90 events, a Community of Practice, and more!
AccessibleEU – the European Accessibility Resource Centre – is a European initiative to promote universal accessibility of products and services, with the aim to ensure equal opportunities and inclusion for persons with disabilities. The first year of the project has been dedicated to setting up structures, systems, and networks, as well as to delivering initial outputs. The key milestones of the Centre are presented in the Final Report 2023.
One of the most outstanding results was the establishment of a Community of Practice through a LinkedIn group. The Community aims to connect professionals from different fields who are responsible for implementing accessibility measures. The project’s original goal was to reach 500 members by the end of 2023, but it closed the year with over 1600 and the number is continuing to grow steadily.
AccessibleEU also aimed to train professionals on accessibility through different events across all European Member States. The Centre successfully hosted 90 events in 2023, 7 of which at European level, that helped determine the level of familiarity with European legislation on accessibility in Member States. The events also provided a space for workshops and networking opportunities.
Another goal of the project was to spread knowledge and share resources on accessibility. Surpassing the objectives that were initially set for the year, the Centre published 37 news items and built a digital library that counts over 150 Good Practices and over 130 references on the topic of accessibility.
All this data and more can be consulted in the AccessibleEU Final Report 2023, which summarises the lessons learned during the launching year of the project and seeks to outline the Centre’s path in the coming years. The report is available in three languages – English, French and German – and all documents are accessible for persons with disabilities.
Click here to read the full AccessibleEU Final Report 2023 (English version).