Governance: Accessibility & data¶
To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities with regard to data?
Definitions and Identification
This indicator investigates the inclusion of persons with disabilities in key data practices.
Ensuring that data practices are accessible to persons with disabilities can take many forms. For example, this may include*:
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Laws that mandate that government processes for providing consent for data sharing or for correcting data be accessible to persons with disabilities;
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Policies that recognize an individual’s right to request accessibility accommodations when the government collects data;
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Regulations that require universal design principles be implemented in digital public infrastructure;
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Policies that direct data portals to publish datasets and accompanying materials in formats compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers;
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Laws that establish cross-government review processes to make sure government websites follow WCAG 2.2 or other standards.
*This list is not exhaustive.
Note: Mandates that only require collecting data about persons with disabilities are insufficient to answer this indicator. Rather, this indicator aims to assess to what extent the government empowers persons with disabilities to be active participants in data communications, collection, and publication.
Examples
- In the UK, the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 mandate that public sector websites and mobile apps to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA (and WCAG 2.2 AA from October 2024) accessibility standard, ensuring that they are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Additionally, organizations must publish and regularly update an accessibility statement on their websites. The regulations build on existing obligations under the Equality Act 2010, ensuring that public sector digital services are inclusive and accessible to all, including those using assistive technologies.
Some countries may have frameworks that explicitly address the inclusion of persons with disabilities in data communications, collection, or publication.
Other countries may have a broader framework that requires the government to make information and services accessible to persons with disabilities, which can be inferred to apply to data communications, collection, and publication. In this circumstance, you’ll need to spot check that the broader framework is indeed being applied to data concerns in practice and explain in the relevant summary box.
Starting points
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Search:
- Government websites for "accessibility requirements" and similar terms.
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Consult:
- Government officials who serve in communications roles.
What to look for?
Look for evidence that can answer the following question:
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Are there laws, policy, or guidance that explicitly address the inclusion of persons with disabilities with regard to data? Are there laws, policy, or guidance that implicitly cover such inclusion, and if so, do spot checks confirm that these are being followed with regard to data?
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Does the framework address the inclusion of persons with disabilities in communications about data matters—such as breach notifications, the provision of consent, etc.?
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Does the framework address the inclusions of persons with disabilities when the government collects data? Validates data with members of the public? For example, do national statistics offices, census bureaus, or other agencies have accessibility mandates that apply to collecting data from members of the public?
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Does the framework address the inclusion of persons with disabilities with regard to government publication of data and data tools? For example, are there requirements that data portals and other digital public infrastructure be accessible to persons with disabilities?
Show/hide supporting questions
Existence
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Are there laws, policies, or regulations in any form requiring the inclusion of people with disabilities? For example, laws that mandate that government information be accessible to people with sensory or mobility impairments; policies that recognize an individual’s right to request accessibility accommodations for government services; regulations that require relevant assistance be provided to people with disabilities when using essential services.
- No.
Supporting questions: In the absence of a legal framework, are there alternative norms or customs that play this role in the country? If so, please explain.
- They are being drafted, or are not yet implemented.
Supporting questions: Please provide brief details. What disabilities are covered? Are there notable omissions?If the framework exists only in draft form, please provide the date of any relevant drafts.Please provide a URL(s) for where evidence can be found.
- They exist and are operational.
Supporting questions: Please provide brief details. What disabilities are covered? Are there notable omissions?Please provide a URL(s) for where evidence can be found.
- No.
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Extent of existence:
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How comprehensive, in terms of jurisdiction, is the coverage of the framework assessed for this question? (The framework covers one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such a framework, or with a framework of a lesser quality., The framework covers one or more localities and is representative of the kind of frameworks that can be found for all, or most, localities., The framework provides national coverage.)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If The framework covers one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such a framework, or with a framework of a lesser quality. or The framework covers one or more localities and is representative of the kind of frameworks that can be found for all, or most, localities.: Which locality or localities does this framework cover?
If The framework covers one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such a framework, or with a framework of a lesser quality. or The framework covers one or more localities and is representative of the kind of frameworks that can be found for all, or most, localities.: Please explain your response.
If The framework covers one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such a framework, or with a framework of a lesser quality. or The framework covers one or more localities and is representative of the kind of frameworks that can be found for all, or most, localities.: Please provide supporting URL(s) as necessary.
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Existence summary:
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Please summarize your answers to the preceding existence sub-questions, including the extent of existence. [Open Text] Drawing on the research you have conducted and the evidence you have gathered for this section, describe what you have found (or not found) when answering the existence sub-questions for this indicator.
Supporting questions
Please provide the URL(s) for the evidence that supports the summary provided.
Elements
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Rights and responsibilities:
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The framework requires the inclusion of people with disabilities with regard to communications about data matters. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, can members of the public receive breach notifications, provide consent for data sharing, access and correct data, etc via assistive technologies. For countries where a broader inclusion mandate can be inferred to apply to communications about data matters, spot check how it applies in practice; answer “Partially” for spot checks that do not find inclusion in practice; answer “Yes” for spot checks that do.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially: Please explain your “Partially” response.
If Partially or Yes: What disabilities are covered?
If Partially or Yes: Are there notable omissions?
If Partially or Yes: If you have conducted spot checks, please provide relevant URLs.
If Partially or Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.
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The framework requires the inclusion of people with disabilities with regard to data collection. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, accessibility mandates that apply to national statistics offices, census bureaus, or other agencies that collect data from members of the public. For countries where a broader inclusion mandate can be inferred to apply to data collection, spot check how it applies in practice; answer “Partially” for spot checks that do not find inclusion in practice; answer “Yes” for spot checks that do.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially: Please explain your “Partially” response.
If Partially or Yes: What disabilities are covered?
If Partially or Yes: Are there notable omissions?
If Partially or Yes: If you have conducted spot checks, please provide relevant URLs.
If Partially or Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.
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The framework requires the inclusion of people with disabilities with regard to data publication. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, mandates that data portals and other digital public infrastructure be accessible to people with visual impairments or compatible with assistive technologies. For countries where a broader inclusion mandate can be inferred to apply to data publication, spot check how it applies in practice; answer “Partially” for spot checks that do not find inclusion in practice; answer “Yes” for spot checks that do.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: What is covered?
If Partially or Yes: Are there notable omissions?
If Partially or Yes: If you have conducted spot checks, please provide relevant URLs.
If Partially or Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.
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Provisions for implementation quality:
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The framework empowers agencies and officials to communicate about, collect, and publish data in ways that support the inclusion of people with disabilities. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, a framework might establish or resource offices to make digital public infrastructure more accessible, grant an agency sanction powers for noncompliance, etc. For countries with only a broader mandate that empowers an agency with regard to the inclusion of people with disabilities, look for reports on the agency’s activities to spot check whether it has engaged with data communications, collection, or publication; answer “Partially” for spot checks that do not find inclusion in practice; answer “Yes” for spot checks that do.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.
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The framework requires a verification process regarding communicating about, collecting, and publishing data in ways that support the inclusion of people with disabilities. (No, Partially, Yes) There are many different kinds of verification processes. Some processes are automated, some involve direct human review, some combine the two. For example, in some cases, a dedicated agency or official has the authority to conduct audits to verify accessibility compliance; in other cases, the accessibility of specific aspects of digital government, such as digital public infrastructure, might be verified via periodic use of an automated tool assessing compliance with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards. For countries with only a broader mandate that requires verification of inclusion, look for performance reports to spot check whether verification processes have engaged with data communications, collection, or publication; answer “Partially” for spot checks that do not find inclusion in practice; answer “Yes” for spot checks that do.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please indicate which section of the framework refers to this issue.
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Elements summary:
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Please summarize your answers to the preceding element sub-questions. [Open Text] Drawing on the research you have conducted and the evidence you have gathered for this section, describe what you have found (or not found) when answering the element sub-questions for this indicator.
Supporting questions
Please provide the URL(s) for the evidence that supports the summary provided.
The inclusion of persons with disabilities is critical to making data practices more equitable, making data meaningfully available, and producing high quality data.
The accessibility of communications about data issues—which can range from providing consent to receiving breach notifications, from seeking correction or redress to providing feedback on data catalogs—affect how well the people involved can participate. Similarly, in data collection, the accessibility of collection tools and practices has consequences for both meaningful consent and data quality. In data publication, the accessibility of how data and its accompanying tools and materials are published affects who can use that data.
Grounded in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Policy Guidelines for Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 2020), particularly in conjunction with SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions), this indicator examines to what extent the government empowers persons with disabilities to be active participants in data communications, collection, and publication.