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Digital accessibility

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Captions, subtitles and transcripts are an easy way to make your content accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing and help your business or organization to adhere to accessibility standards and regulations. Read more about digital accessibility here.

What is Digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility aims at the principle that everyone, including people with functional disabilities, have equal access to digital content.

Videos and podcasts become increasingly popular as a medium for education, explanation, and user guidance. Unfortunately, without subtitles or text-alternatives, these formats are not accessible to the deaf or hard of hearing.

What are some of the legislations regarding accessibility in EU?

Country	Legislation		Find out more
Austria	Web Accessibility Act WZG)	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20010727
Belgium	JULY 19, 2018. – Law on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/loi/2018/07/19/2018040577/moniteur
Bulgaria	E-GOVERNMENT ACT REGULATION ON GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS, REGISTERS AND ELECTRONIC ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://e-gov.bg/wps/wcm/connect/e-gov.bg-18083/e38534dd-9a66-4f89-bc29-d0034ef40049/NAREDBA+ZA+OBSchITE+IZISKVANIYa+KAM+INFORMATsIONNI_1+%281%29.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Croatia	Law on the accessibility of websites and software solutions for mobile devices of public sector bodies	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.zakon.hr/z/1929/Zakon-o-pristupa%C4%8Dnosti-mre%C5%BEnih-stranica-i-programskih-rje%C5%A1enja-za-pokretne-ure%C4%91aje-tijela-javnog-sektora
Cyprus	The Act of 2019 on the Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Device Applications of Public Sector Organisations (50(I)/2019)	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	http://www.cylaw.org/nomoi/indexes/2019_1_50.html
Czechia	Website and mobile app accessibility	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/CS/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016L2102
Denmark	Act on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public bodies	EDIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2018/692
Finland	Act on the provision of digital services	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FI/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016L2102
France	Decree no. 2019-768 of July 24, 2019 on the accessibility of online public communication services for the disabled	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000038811937/
Germany	Disability Equality Act (BGG) Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance – BITV 2.0	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgg/BJNR146800002.html
Greece	Law 4591/2019 – Government Gazette 19/A/12-2-2019 (Codified)	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://access.uoa.gr/en/legislation/
Ireland	S.I. No. 358/2020 – European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/si/358/made/en/print
Italy	Provisions to support the access to information technologies for the disabled, addresses accessibility considerations in Italy	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.levelaccess.com/compliance-overview/
Latvia	Regulation LV 2018/611	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://wunder.io/wunderpedia/accessibility/terminology/legal/#lv-2018-611
Lithuania	Law No VIII-1524 of the Republic of Lithuania on the Right to Obtain Information from State and Municipal Institutions and Bodies.	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://lrkm.lrv.lt/en/activities/public-information-policy
Luxembourg	Law of May 28, 2019 on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2019/05/28/a373/jo
Poland	Act on providing accessibility to people with special needs Act on digital accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public entities	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://sip.lex.pl/akty-prawne/dzu-dziennik-ustaw/dostepnosc-cyfrowa-stron-internetowych-i-aplikacji-mobilnych-podmiotow-18850316
Portugal	Decree Law no. 83/2018	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.sgeconomia.gov.pt/destaques/decreto-lei-n-832018-define-os-requisitos-de-acessibilidade-dos-sitios-web-e-das-aplicacoes-moveis-de-organismos-publicos-span-classnovo-novospan.aspx
Romania	Urgent Ordinance No 112/2018 on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://lege5.ro/gratuit/gmytimrugeyq/ordonanta-de-urgenta-nr-112-2018-privind-accesibilitatea-site-urilor-web-si-a-aplicatiilor-mobile-ale-organismelor-din-sectorul-public
Slovakia	Act No. 95/2019 Coll. on Information Technologies in Public Administration	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.mirri.gov.sk/sekcie/informatizacia/governance-a-standardy/standardy-isvs/pristupnost-webovych-sidel/povinne-vyhlasenie-o-pristupnosti-weboveho-sidla-mobilnej-aplikacie/index.html
Slovenia	ACCESSIBILITY OF WEBSITES AND MOBILE APPS (ZDSMA)	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	http://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO7718
Spain	UNE-EN 301549:2019 Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services.	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.une.org/encuentra-tu-norma/busca-tu-norma/norma/?c=N0061677
Sweden	Act (2018:1937) on accessibility to digital public services	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-20181937-om-tillganglighet-till-digital_sfs-2018-1937/
The Netherlands	Government Digital Accessibility Decree	DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies	https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0040936/2018-07-01

Digital accessibility and

The status of technology

So far the creation of transcripts, subtitles, or captions was costly and required many hours of labor. Advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Speech Recognition accelerate this process and decrease the cost for organizations significantly.

Tooltip	Degree of Automation	Not possible	Light	Partial	Large parts	Fully
Alternative text is a textual alternative to non-text content in websites, such as photographs, logos and other images.	Alternative Text Content
	Captions
	Subtitles
	Transcriptions

Not possible

Light

Partial

Large parts

Fully

Alternative Text Content

Captions

Subtitles

Transcriptions

Languages

Subtitles and transcripts available in 11 languages

Custom

Customizable for your audience

Fast

Fast turnaround times

Easy

Easy to integrate into your workflow

Price

Competitive rate through process automation

Secure

GDPR compliant security and safety

Languages

Subtitles and transcripts available in 11 languages

Custom

Customizable for your audience

Fast

Fast turnaround times

Easy

Easy to integrate into your workflow

Price

Competitive rate through process automation

Secure

GDPR compliant security and safety

Meet our

Happy customers

HVA (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) – Read case study.

Our research group conducts a lot of interviews. Previously, we worked with our own pool of transcribers.
I’m glad that now our interviews are all transcribed in one place, it saves a lot of time in arranging everything.

L. Van den Berg – Lecturer-researcher at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam

HVA (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) – Read case study.

Our research group conducts a lot of interviews. Previously, we worked with our own pool of transcribers.
I’m glad that now our interviews are all transcribed in one place, it saves a lot of time in arranging everything.

L. Van den Berg – Lecturer-researcher at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Grundl Institute – Read case study

Amberscript offers their service cheaper than the competitors, thanks to a largely automated process. Besides, the customer service is great. Usually, everything runs so smoothly that I don’t even notice anything during the whole process.

Jochen Hummel – Executive at the Grundl Institute

Company Webcast – Read case study

In cooperation with Company Webcast, the leading webcasting provider in the Netherlands, Amberscript developed a speech recognition which is specifically trained on political language. Google’s recognition simply wasn’t accurate enough for political terms, names of political parties, or legislations, which are frequently discussed in our clients’ meetings.

Patrick van der Geest – CEO

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Machine-Made Transcription

Machine-Made Transcription

Automatically convert your audio and video to text using our high-end AI engines.

Machine-Made Subtitles

Machine-Made Subtitles

Add subtitles and captions to your videos automatically using our subtitle generator.

Data annotation

Data annotation

We create your training material with annotators trained according to your guidelines.

Human-Made Transcription

Human-Made Transcription

Let our transcribers perfect your text.

Human-Made Subtitles

Human-Made Subtitles

Original captions or translated subtitles are created and edited by our transcribers.

API & custom models

API & custom models

Add our Speech-to-text API to your stack and/or request a tailored model.

Machine-Made Transcription

Machine-Made Transcription

Automatically convert your audio and video to text using our high-end AI engines.

Machine-Made Subtitles

Machine-Made Subtitles

Add subtitles and captions to your videos automatically using our subtitle generator.

Data annotation

Data annotation

We create your training material with annotators trained according to your guidelines.

Human-Made Transcription

Human-Made Transcription

Let our transcribers perfect your text.

Human-Made Subtitles

Human-Made Subtitles

Original captions or translated subtitles are created and edited by our transcribers.

API & custom models

API & custom models

Add our Speech-to-text API to your stack and/or request a tailored model.

How is the topic of Digital accessibility related to the EU legislation 2016/2102?

On the 22nd of September 2016, the EU published a directive on digital accessibility regarding the websites of public institutions.

The objectives included in the directive are to be implemented in each EU member state’s national law as of the 23rd of September 2018 and have come into effect. Public institutions are to conform to the European Norm (EN 301 549 V 2.1.2), which refers to a level “A” or level “AA” of the international standards of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1), as valid minimum requirements in digital accessibility.

To learn more about this topic, read our blog about Digital accessibility and WCAG 2.1 standards.
How to become compliant with the WCAG 2.1?

To become compliant with the WCAG 2.1, it is important to ensure that all audio and video files and features on your website have a textual alternative and vice versa. Do you need to convert audio/video to text? Or do you want to generate captions/subtitles? You can use Amberscript to do so!
What is WCAG 2.1?

WCAG stands for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. WCAG 2.1 is the latest version of these guidelines, which are intended to make the world’s digital environment more accessible for those with a visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disability.
Do you offer audio description and other accessibility services?

Our focus is on speech-to-text solutions. We also have a vast network of people concerned with accessibility services, so please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions/queries.
What does Digital accessibility mean for me?

Whether you are a public institution or not, it is always important to think about inclusivity in our society.
We can all help to make sure that everyone is part of the digital revolution, which is making our lives easier every day. In order to help those with visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities, we can come up with solutions to help everyone enjoy the same content. Amberscript is providing software that provides such a solution: we convert audio/video files to text using our speech recognition software, running on an AI-driven engine. To find out more about our products, click here.
Why is Digital accessibility important?

Digital accessibility is important because it promotes inclusivity and ensures that everyone, regardless of any disability, can have access to the same information. As more and more services and processes in our society become digitalized, it is important to ensure that everyone can enjoy these services and processes. Digital accessibility has also become a topic of interest in European politics, so much so that there are now laws which make it mandatory for public institutions to make all their content understandable and readable for everyone.