Carlos Duarte and Letícia Seixas Pereira, LASIGE integrated members, contributed to the report on the accessibility of European Universities, publishing the article “Higher education accessibility information in practice. A report on the accessibility of European Universities” in the Universal Access in the Information Society.

An international study, carried out as part of the COST LeadMe Action – a European initiative that brings together researchers, policymakers and industry to promote digital accessibility, led by researchers from Portugal, Poland and Ireland warns of serious shortcomings in the digital accessibility of most European universities. The research, which involved analyzing 171 higher education institutions in 38 countries, included the participation of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

Despite the new European Accessibility Law being in force, many universities still do not fulfil the basic requirements that guarantee access to digital content for students with disabilities. The most frequent problems identified on institutional websites are: low color contrast, ambiguous labels and confusing navigation structures, which compromise the experience of students with visual or cognitive disabilities and make it difficult for them to access essential information.

It concludes “As digital learning continues to evolve, universities must foster a culture of accessibility that prioritizes compliance with established guidelines, invests in robust support services, and facilitates knowledge-sharing across regions. These actions will not only fulfil legal obligations but also contribute to a genuinely inclusive academic landscape across Europe, empowering students with disabilities to thrive in their educational pursuits and beyond”

The paper is available here.