Slovakia

Is there existing legislation in your country to encourage or ensure that websites, in particular government, public service or other sites providing widespread services of general use (such as hiring services, travel, telephony, energy, education, employment, leisure...) are accessible to visually impaired people? Please be sure to specify in your answer to which categories of site the regulation(s) apply.

There exists the Act no. 275/206 Col. about information systems of public administration and on its basis issued the decree of Ministry of finances no. 312/2010 col. about standards for information systems of public administration which specifies accessibility rules mainly for web sites. It applies to public administration only: ministries, government institutions, regional governments and municipalities, courts, etc, but not to the private sector. The responsible authority is the Ministry of finances.

What are the standards that are used in your country to measure website accessibility?

The web accessibility is measured according to the decree 312/2010 of standards for information systems of public administration, but official methodology is not established. The Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union has its own “rating system” which is used for audits of accessibility provided for the Ministry of finances on a contract base.

Is there an authority in place to establish, measure and control website accessibility?

This is the competence of the Ministry of finances.

Is there a legal obligation to regularly review the accessibility of websites?

No obligation exists.

If yes, at what intervals?
Ideally once a year.

Is there an established timeframe for

1. new websites to be made accessible?
   if yes what is it ?
   Just from launch, no transitional period exists more (but  again only for public administration).
2. existing websites to be made accessible?
   if yes what is it ?
   No transitional period exists once again, all of them have to be already accessible, but this obligation is not met yet (again only for public administration).

What sanctions are imposed by the law for websites which fail to comply with accessibility regulations?

There is the possibility of a penalty according to the Act 275/2006 Col. Mentioned above, but it has not been applied yet.

Is there a legal obligation to include awareness of accessibility issues in training provided to webmasters and related professions?

No obligation exists.

Is there a legal obligation on educational authorities to provide specific training on Web accessibility issues in related areas (such as engineering and computer sciences, telecommunications and networks courses, etc)?

No obligation exists.

Are there official guidelines in place to assist webmasters and technical staff in making their websites accessible?

Yes. They have been issued by Ministry of finances in relation to the decree 312/2010 Col. Mentioned above.

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