What will change in the requirements for web accessibility of Russian government websites from 01.09.2024
My name is Volya Gotovtseva, I am a lawyer and a novice frontend developer. It turned out that the intersection of my expertise can give something useful to the IT community. For example, explain formal requirements in simple language. This is what we will do in this article.
Starting in autumn 2024, Russian legislation on web accessibility of websites of government agencies, local governments and subordinate organizations will be updated. Let's compare the current and new regulations and clarify whether a version for the visually impaired is required.
What are the current requirements for accessibility of government websites?
Legislation is currently focused on protecting the rights of visually impaired people. Requirements regarding web accessibility of sites for people with hearing, musculoskeletal, speech, mental, neurological and other disabilities have not been established.
Yes, Russia has GOST R 52872-2019, developed on the basis of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It contains provisions on the accessibility of information in electronic digital form for a wide range of users with various disabilities.
But this document is a national standard. This means that its norms are generally applied voluntarily. In other words, each website owner decides independently whether to respect the interests of other user groups, except for visitors with visual disabilities. There is no liability for ignoring their rights.
Today, the requirements for web accessibility of government websites for people with visual disabilities are spelled out in the Order of the Ministry of Digital Development dated 12.12.2022 No. 931 and sound simply like this:
or there should be an alternative text version of the site (aka version for people with visual disabilities / version for the visually impaired)
or the site must meet all of the following requirements:
any non-text content (images, video, audio files, etc.) must be accompanied by a text description. The hackneyed example with the alt attribute is probably not worth citing;
pdf files should also be available in text format;
The functionality of the site should allow:
increase text size to 200%;
change the spacing between letters;
adjust font;
change color scheme.
I would like to emphasize that if the site meets the requirements I described above, a separate version for the visually impaired is not needed.
But this procedure is valid until 01.09.2024.
What are the new web accessibility requirements for government websites?
The new procedure is prescribed in the order of the Ministry of Digital Development dated 07.11.2023 N 953. This document does not carry 100% changes, a number of rules will remain the same, but new ones will also be introduced.
Let's look at the requirements that a government website must meet starting in the fall of 2024:
the information posted on the site is accessible using assistive technologies, as well as from a keyboard (there are no time limits on keystrokes);
information in the form of text is scaled by at least 200% of the original scale without the use of assistive technologies, loss of functionality and the appearance of a horizontal scroll bar;
documents, including pdf files:
or accessible for reading using assistive technologies and marked in accordance with GOST R 70176-2022;
or have alternative versions that can be read using assistive technologies;
any non-text content has an alternative version accessible through assistive technologies. For example, a short text description for a video;
If a site uses CAPTCHA, it must be in Russian in a form accessible to visually impaired people. For example, its text may be accompanied by a voice-over;
Headings and links posted on a website contain a description (usually the topic and purpose);
any information meets the criteria for optimal contrast. They are different for different types of content. The criteria are fixed in GOST R 52872-2019;
instructions on the site for the process of interaction with content or interface elements are based not only on characteristics perceived by the senses (shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, and sound). For example, if a user has entered incorrect data into a form (say, text without the “@” sign in the email line), it is not enough to highlight this form element in red;
if it is necessary to show the user that some action on the site has been completed, or if it is necessary to differentiate visual elements, not only the visual characteristics of the element (color, shape, size, visual location, orientation) are used, but also text accessible to assistive technologies;
automatically updated information is controlled in accordance with the criteria of GOST R 52872-2019. For example, the site must have a mechanism that allows the user to pause, stop, hide the update or control its frequency, except in cases where such automatic updating is a necessary part of the action on the site;
when moving focus to an interface element, its context does not change;
form elements that require input have a text description. If the user makes a mistake when filling it out, they are notified, including a text description of what was done wrong.
In addition, from September 1, 2024, the website must provide the ability to submit an appeal regarding the inaccessibility of elements and/or services of the website for people with visual impairments.
Now let's get back to the version for the visually impaired. The new legislation does not mention it at all. Naturally, this does not mean that such a version cannot exist. However, the website owner should evaluate whether two versions of the website are needed, whether it is reasonable to bear the costs of developing and supporting both, given that the main version of the website, subject to the above requirements, will be accessible to visually impaired people.
If the site does not meet the requirements listed above, it may be subject to administrative liability. The official of the site owner or the legal entity itself will be held liable. The penalty is established by Article 9.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation and provides for a fine of 2,000 to 3,000 Russian rubles for an official, and 20,000 to 30,000 for a legal entity.
Knowing the upcoming changes, the developer can focus the attention of his customer on this issue. I think the parties will be mutually satisfied with such cooperation. The site owner will comply with the requirements of the law, and the IT company will not be left without work.
conclusions
From September 1, 2024, web accessibility requirements for government websites will become even closer to WCAG. Even without a version for the visually impaired, people with visual impairments will be able to get the information they need on government websites if the developer takes care of contrast, text description of non-text content, and the operation of assistive technologies.
