“Physical boundaries have come down in recent years for those with disabilities as most buildings have ramps, disability car spaces and so on. Now as people’s lives transfer to online spaces, we need to ensure that those with a disability have the same access and opportunity that we have. Accessible technologies can change the lives of people with disabilities. Technology can help those with a disability to work, live an independent life and participate in all aspects of society. One in three people with a disability have never used the internet! This is a pan European policy failure that shows that we have not encouraged our technology providers to make technology more accessible to those who have a disability.

“Screen readers, screen magnification software, hearing aids on apps, websites and technologies are just some of the ways to allow those with a disability to use the technology and benefit in the same way as everyone else. When designing technologies such as apps and websites, designers should be made to consider how someone with a visual, hearing or physical disability can use the service.

“The Commission is currently working on the Digital Single Market strategy within the EU. The aim of the Digital Single Market, which a key priority for Jean Claude Juncker and the European Commission, is to tear down regulatory walls and move from 28 national markets to one single market for digital technology. This could contribute €415 billion per year to our EU economy and create 3.8 million jobs.

“The Digital Single Market strategy is weak when it comes to accessibility for people with disabilities. We need pan European legislation to make technology more accessible across the common market. I have now written a Parliamentary Question to the Commission to ask how they plan to create a more inclusive digital economy in Europe, legislating to ensure that technology doesn’t leave those with a disability behind.”