Ultimately, the responsibility in the eyes of the law lies with the service provider. The service provider is responsible for the services it purchases.
In many cases, third-party applications and libraries are added to the services. Examples include social media walls, cookie apps, chatbots or embedded videos.
The provider's responsibility for the accessibility of third-party applications and libraries depends on several factors, including
In general, the provider has some responsibility to ensure that all parts of the site, including third-party components, are accessible, especially if they can influence the selection or integration of those components.
Remember that in the future it will no longer be enough to add an accessibility statement to the service. You will also have to report any shortcomings to the supervisory authority yourself. We will have more detailed information and guidance on this change of requirement when the European Accessibility Act comes into full force.
You should create an accessibility statement when you launch the service. If an accessibility audit is conducted on the service, it is usually quite easy to create an accessibility statement based on the results. It is important to keep the report up to date as the service is updated. Audits should also be conducted regularly, and I strongly recommend continuous monitoring of the accessibility status.
Find out more about the requirements of the Accessibility Statement
More or less, yes. Part of the responsibility for the accessibility of the service can be outsourced to the service supplier through a contract. This does not mean that the service provider is still not responsible for the accessibility of the whole service. But if the contract specifies a certain degree of accessibility, the contract and any breach of it can be dealt with.
The service supplier usually does not produce the content of the service, so content accessibility cannot be guaranteed by the service supplier in these situations. I also believe that if you are producing a truly accessible service, then the responsibility lies with all parties involved. Every architect, designer, service designer, developer, tester and content creator must take accessibility into account in their work. However, the official responsibility lies with the service provider. Individual employees are not responsible for the company's business.
It is important to state in the tender what accessibility requirements the service has. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the legal minimum requirement. Accessibility can be required of a supplier even if the service is not required by law to be accessible.
When accessibility requirements are clearly stated in the tender, it is also clear to tenderers at what level they should consider the issue.
It is a good idea to check the level of accessibility expertise of the service supplier before ordering a service from that supplier.
Good indicators can be found in the supplier's references. If the supplier has implemented accessible services in the past, they are likely to have the relevant expertise.
The supplier's website can also provide an indicator of how important accessibility is to the supplier. The very fact that an accessibility statement is available on the website says something about the importance of accessibility. Many suppliers themselves do not have accessibility requirements for their websites, so an accessibility statement is usually an indication of awareness.
It is also worth finding out whether the supplier's employees have accessibility certificates. For example, IAAP WAS or CPWA certified staff have at least three years of proven experience in accessibility. Although the lack of certification does not automatically mean that accessibility expertise is not available, it does provide some understanding of the issue. Not every supplier employee is likely to have a certificate, and it is generally not worth requiring one.