The accessibility requirements for products and services now have a new breadth with the publication of
Decree-Law no. 82/2022, of 6 December, in a transposition of
Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 17 April 2019 and which aims to contribute to a harmonisation and greater availability of accessible products and services in the domestic market, as well as to improve accessibility to relevant information, in order to foster a society that is more inclusive and facilitates the autonomy of people with disabilities and/or functional limitations.
The Community Directive thus aims to make products and services more accessible to this group of users (companies, people with disabilities and/or with permanent or temporary functional limitations) who, in interaction with various barriers, are limited in their access to these products and services, implying the necessary adaptation of these products and services to their specific needs.
The following products and services with direct application in the tourism activity are covered by way of example:
// Products
_ General consumer IT equipment and operating systems for such IT equipment
_ Self-service terminals:
* Automatic register machines
* Interactive self-service terminals providing information, excluding terminals installed as part of vehicles, aircraft, vessels or rolling stock
_ Terminal equipment with interactive computer capabilities for consumer use, used for electronic communications services
// Services
_ Passenger transport services by air, coach, rail, water and inland waterway:
* Integrated services on mobile devices, including mobile applications
* Electronic tickets and electronic ticketing services
* Provision of information on the transport service, including real-time travel information, whereby only interactive displays are covered at information screen level
_ Interactive self-service terminals for urban, suburban and regional transport services, except those installed as an integral part of vehicles, aircraft, vessels or rolling stock used for the provision of any part of such passenger transport services.
The national legislation aims to increase the availability of accessible products and services by mitigating the limited competition between providers of accessible products and services and assistive technologies. It also seeks to mitigate the segmentation of the market for accessible products and services resulting from the fragmentation of European legislation that reduces the benefits of sharing experiences of social and technological developments with national and international counterparts.
This measure will thus promote the smooth functioning of the domestic market by harmonising the market for accessible products and services, facilitating cross-border trade and mobility and helping economic operators to focus their resources on innovation.
