Introduction into Web Accessibility

• 1 in 4 has a strong vision difficulty
• 1 in 4 has a dexterity difficulty
• 1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty

• The share of the population over 65 years of age in developed countries will soon reach 25% - 35%.
• With increasing age not only the disabilities increase but as well their severity.
• This means more (potential) clients with disabilities.

We want to ensure all prospects and clients have access to our products and services.

Web accessibility is required by law

• Web accessibility is mandatory, including for private companies like UBS in some countries: US, UK, AU, Israel, Norway and in most markets in APAC. These countries' regulations refer to WCAG Level AA. 
• The number of website accessibility lawsuits, i.e. lawsuits alleging that plaintiffs with a disability could not use websites, are on the increase.
  
• Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Web litigation has exploded from ~700 in 2017 to 3,550 in 2020. Banking remains a targeted sector.
  ADA: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada
  
• European Accessibility Act (EAA) enters into force right now: banking and financial services provided on mobile apps must be accessible since early 2021 and on the web from July 2025 on.
  EAA: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1202
  EAA, Fact sheet (PDF): https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=14869&langId=en

Web accessibility is required by anti-discrimination law

• In Switzerland and in many other countries, web accessibility is mandatory for governmental organizations, for the private sector anti-discrimination laws should encourage compliance with the same WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Law and policies overview: https://www.w3.org/WAI/policies/

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Disability Inclusion

• Disability is referenced in various parts of the United Nations Conference SDGs, in parts related to education, growth and employment.
• Specifically web accessibility has been identified as a driver for inclusion and making a positive social impact.
• UBS has committed itself to the SDGs.
• UBS has committed itself to the Valuable 500, an organization of over 500 partners and companies working together to end disability exclusion.

UBS diversity: https://www.ubs.com/global/en/our-firm/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion.html

Important:

• The ‘Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)’ are developed in coordination with all W3C technical specifications (HTML, CSS, SVG, etc.). WCAG is approved as an ISO standard.
• WCAG is also valid and applicable to Non-Web ICT Technolgies such as applications, mobile apps and PDF.
• It is also valid for digital content behind a login or in the intranet, read UBS Digital Accessibility Standard.