What is UNE 139803:2012?

8.5% of the Spanish population has some form of disability, and only 35% of people with disabilities are employed in Spain.

Spain is among the few countries in the world that ensures easy accessibility to its cultural sites. The country has now been taking steps towards website accessibility for people with disabilities.

UNE 139803:2012 ‘Accessibility Requirements for Content on the Web’ is the Spanish government’s accessibility standard. It was published by the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR) in 2012 and it aims to make websites accessible to people with various types of disabilities, including auditory, speech, visual, physical, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological. The standard aims to facilitate understanding and easy navigation for all users, irrespective of their technical skills.

UNE 139803:2012 aligns with the AA compliance level of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0).

 

What Are the Standards of UNE 139803:2012?

As per the new version of the standard, the content made available on intranets, the Internet, and any type of computer network should be accessible to people with disabilities and elderly people, either independently or through assistive technologies.

Regardless of the type of software, hardware, language, network infrastructure, culture, geographic location, or user capabilities, anybody should be able to use the Internet.

 

How Has UNE 139803:2012 Evolved?

The list of UNE standards approved by AENOR is published by the General Directorate for Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

UNE 139803 was legislated as a standard in 2004 for ‘Computer Applications for People with Disabilities.’

The Royal Decree 1494/2007 approved the regulation on the basic conditions for access to people with disabilities to products, services, and technologies related to social media.

Accessibility requirements for content on the Web, UNE 139803:2012 replaces UNE Standard 139803:2004.

 

Organizations That Need to Comply with UNE 139803:2012

This standard applies to:

  • Government and government-funded organizations.
  • Organizations with more than 100 employees
  • Companies with a trading volume greater than 6 million Euros
  • Organizations providing:
    • Financial services
    • Utility services, water, gas, electricity
    • Online travel, passenger, or retail services

 

What Is the Cost of Non-Compliance?

UNE 139803:2012 specifies the guidelines and levels of accessibility specific organizations are obliged to comply with.

As per the Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities (CERMI), all stakeholders are now familiar with accessibility as awareness has grown substantially. A strong disability community in Spain is now moving towards more robust accessibility legislation.

 

Learn More

To learn more about the UNE 139803:2012, click here -> UNE 139803:2012