The National Disability Authority is named in Irish Regulations as the National Monitoring Body for the purposes of monitoring compliance with and reporting on the EU Web Accessibility Directive.
NDA conducts both Simplified and In-depth and mobile app reviews on a large number of public sector websites and mobile apps on an annual basis. For the 2023 monitoring period, the number of reviews NDA will conduct are: 225 Simplified, 21 In-depth and 11 mobile apps.
A Simplified Review as defined under Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1524 is conducted on a subset of Success Criteria, under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 on a large number of website pages. NDA conducts these reviews using automated software which uses the axeCore accessibility testing engine. NDA provides public bodies with a link to their Simplified Review results to enable them to understand and address the accessibility issues identified. Simplified Review scans are updated weekly.
An In-depth Review is conducted on a set of specific pages and tests for compliance with all relevant WCAG 2.1 and EN 301 549 criteria. Tests are conducted manually by an expert reviewer. Mobile app reviews are conducted in a similar way. NDA gives public bodies a detailed report and all data from their review.
NDA’s Simplified and In-depth Reviews provide public bodies with detailed data on the performance of their website or mobile app as well as advice and guidance on how to address the issues identified.
What a public body can expect when subject to monitoring by NDA under the EU Web Accessibility Directive
The monitoring process commences with NDA issuing a Notice of Monitoring to a public body advising them of their obligations under the Directive, the name of the website/mobile app to be reviewed and the type of review to be conducted. The public body is asked to register relevant staff with NDA’s EU WAD Monitoring and Reporting Platform (MRP) through which they will can access the review results. The MRP also provides access to specific guidance on understanding and addressing the accessibility issues identified and allows the public body send queries to NDA.
If you have any queries in relation to NDA’s monitoring role for the EU Web Accessibility Directive, and are not registered on the Monitoring and Reporting platform, please email the monitoring team at webaccessmonitor@nda.ie or call us on (01) 6080456.