About the project

The IWAC project addresses the lack of teaching on web accessibility in higher education ICT courses across Europe.

Across the EU, there is an increasing demand for web accessibility skills. Anyone who works with digital interfaces – whether as a developer, an editor, a designer, or a procurer – will soon require such skills. A major driving force behind the project is the EU’s Web Accessibility Directive that was recently implemented in national legislations across the EU. The Directive imposes accessibility requirements on all public sector websites and apps. Another driver of demand is the growing insight among view that accessible websites are better for everyone. Yet there is not yet a corresponding supply of skilled professionals. Web accessibility is usually not included in ICT programme curricula in higher education. As a result, many entry-level ICT professionals are unfamiliar with web accessibility. There is therefore a gap between demand and supply that must be closed.

The project objectives are to develop and test guidance material and educational resources designed to support teachers who are new to the subject.

The aim is to both inspire teachers at universities around the EU to start teaching web accessibility in their courses and to provide tips and tools for how to go about introducing web accessibility into the curricula in practice. In addition, the project will encourage the exchange of experiences and lessons learned. The outcome of the project includes both open educational resources that can be used directly in teaching, as well as guidance and recommendations for how the universities can develop and adapt their own courses.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The page was updated: December 13, 2023