The objective of Support-EAM (Supporting the creation of a e-Accessibility Quality Mark) was to propose a strategy for creating a Web Accessibility Quality Mark for Web services by the end of 2005, as part of the Action Plan eEurope 2005: An information society for all.
For more information on the Support-EAM project, you can choose to read the Support-EAM Fact Sheet in HTML or to download it in P.D.F. (53.2 kb).
Supporting the creation of an eAccessibility Mark
Support-EAM was set up on the basis of the Council Resolution on eAccessibility. Indeed, it was set up in order to explore the possibility to create an eAccessibility Quality Mark for Web services, as part of the Action Plan eEurope 2005: An information society for all.
This support action makes clear reference to the Council Resolution on "eAccessibility" - improving the access of people with disabilities to the Knowledge Based Society (doc. 5165/03), inviting the Commission and the member states "to consider the provision of an "eAccessibility mark" for goods and services which comply with relevant standards for eAccessibility".
The "eEurope 2005: an information society for all" calls upon Member States and invites the Commission to tap the Information Society's potential for people with disabilities and tackle the removal of technical barriers for their effective participation in the Knowledge Economy and Society. It also refers to the W3C/WAI recommendations.
Making the thousands of applicable Web services (both public and private) accessible within the next few years will require a major effort across Europe, in terms of practical implementation and R&D. There will be a need for new accessibility standards for 'cutting edge' technologies, new technical solutions for existing technologies, new access technologies for people with disabilities, new web content authoring tools (which automatically create accessible content) and new tools for accessing web content.
However, to achieve the best results all of this must be prepared in light of a better understanding of how eAccessibility should be implemented in harmony all over Europe something, which is now more important than ever, as more and more initiatives within different countries are leading to further divergence in peoples understanding of what is considered to be accessible.
Support-EAM is a Specific Support Action Project (contract number 004754) co-funded by the INFSO DG of the European Commission within the RTD activities of the Thematic Priority Information Society Technologies of the 6th Framework Programme".
Duration: 22 months, Start date: 01/10/2004, End date: 31/07/2006.
