The State Comptroller announces today (Tuesday) that in 2022 he examined the accessibility of government bodies' digital services to people with disabilities - who constitute 171% of the population in Israel - as well as the government's response to the public who rarely or does not use digital media at all.
This public includes three main groups, including those aged 60 and over, as well as those aged 20 and over from the ultra-Orthodox community and from Arab society.
This is more than three million citizens, about a third of Israel's population and about half of the country's adult population.
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Regarding accessibility for people with disabilities, it was found that 57% out of 23 government entities that participated in a survey conducted by the State Comptroller's Office (13 entities) reported that they did not make all the content and services that were required to be accessible available on their main website, which provides information and services to the public.
Among the bodies that did not make their websites accessible: the Nature and Parks Authority, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, Israel Railways, the Enforcement and Collection Authority, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Courts Administration, the Central Elections Committee, the Israel Lands Authority, the Ministry of Religious Services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Tourism.
Approximately 50% of the entities that participated in the survey made available, at most, only some of the documents that were required to be made available according to the provisions of the law on their public websites.
The survey also revealed that 431% of government bodies have not yet conducted an accessibility audit of their website - an audit that is required to be conducted once every five years.
During the audit of the government's response to the public that does not use digital media, the State Comptroller's Office conducted a public participation process among 300 people who belong to the three groups that rarely use the Internet in general and to consume government services in particular: those aged 60 and over, and those aged 20 and over from the ultra-Orthodox community and the Arab community.
Participants pointed to barriers that make it difficult for them to use the digital channels of government bodies, primarily low digital orientation and lack of Internet connection.
Additional barriers that emerged are also related to avoiding owning a smartphone or computer connected to the Internet (50% of the Haredim mentioned this barrier) and relatively little use of credit cards among Arab society (10% of the Arab participants mentioned this barrier).
Comptroller Engelman recommends that all government agencies take action to conduct accessibility tests on their digital services and correct any deficiencies they find. It is also recommended that the Equal Rights Commission for People with Disabilities at the Ministry of Justice and the National Digital System take action to promote the digital accessibility of government services.
The auditor also recommends that government agencies address barriers that prevent certain groups in the population from bridging the gap to the digital age. For example, placing digital service stations in government agencies' reception desks, with attendants to assist users, could help people with low digital orientation to still need government services in this way.
The Ministry of Health responded to the State Comptroller's report on making government services accessible in the digital age: "The Ministry of Health invests a lot of effort in making information accessible to the public, including on the ministry's website. The ministry develops digital assets - websites, forms, calculators and applications - in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian, with these being developed in accordance with accessibility regulations.
""All documents published on the site are adapted to accessibility rules, and in the past year, approximately 70,000 pages that were previously published were adapted and uploaded to the accessible site.".
""In addition, the Ministry of Health has made all health entitlements provided by the health funds, in the basic basket and in supplementary insurance, digitally accessible through the 'All Health' website, which is designed to provide the most up-to-date and accurate picture possible regarding the insured's entitlements.".
