Multiannual accessibility scheme

2023-2025 multiannual scheme for external services

1. Introduction

1.1. Digital accessibility

Disability is defined as “any limitation of activity or restriction of participation in life in society affecting a person in his or her environment due to a substantial, long-term or permanent impairment of one or more physical, sensory, mental, cognitive or psychological functions, multiple disabilities or a disabling health disorder” (Article L. 114 of the French Social Action and Family Code).

Digital accessibility consists in making online public communication services accessible to all people with disability, i.e.:

  • perceptible: facilitating the user’s visual and auditory perception of the content; offering text equivalents to any non-text content; creating content that can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure (e.g. with a simplified layout);
  • usable: providing the user with guidance for navigating and finding content; making all functionalities accessible from a keyboard; allowing sufficient time for the user to read and use the content; not designing any content that may trigger epileptic seizures;
  • understandable: ensuring that pages work in a predictable way; helping the user to correct data-entry errors;
  • robust: optimizing compatibility with current and future uses, including assistive technologies.

1.2. Legal framework

Article 47 of French Law No. 2005-102 of February 11, 2005 for Equal Rights and Opportunities, Participation and Citizenship of People with Disability, and French Decree No. 2019-768 of July 24, 2019 on the accessibility of online public communication services to people with disability determine the obligation of accessibility for online public communication services. They also provide details on the implementation of the accessibility requirements, as well as the methods of communication for the associated actions, in particular:

  • the publication of an accessibility statement for each online public communication service concerned;
  • the publication of a multiannual accessibility scheme.

To facilitate the accessibility of these services, the French Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM) publishes the General Framework for Improving Digital Accessibility (RGAA), the latest version of which is V4.1.2.

Pursuant to Article 47 of French Law No. 2005-102 and French Decree No. 2019-768, in this 2023-2025 multiannual scheme, Dassault Aviation provides details of all the actions implemented to make its services accessible.

2. Dassault Aviation’s accessibility policy

Dassault Aviation’s accessibility policy is fully in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, and with two of its five pillars in particular:

  • satisfy regulatory requirements and obligations for conformity;
  • propose an attractive and motivating social model, in particular by promoting diversity and equal opportunities.

It also helps to improve the integration and continued employment of people with disability within the company.

3. Project organization

Dassault Aviation has chosen to draw up two separate multiannual digital accessibility schemes, one for external services and the other for internal services. An accessibility advisor has been appointed for each type of service in order to design and manage each of the multiannual schemes.

A project organization has been set up to prepare the multiannual scheme for external services and the associated action plans. The drafting of the multiannual scheme for internal services will be launched simultaneously as this project moves forward.

Managed by a project committee and steered by the accessibility advisor, the actions laid out in the multiannual scheme are implemented based on an assessment of the human and financial resources required, updated annually.

A “Digital Accessibility” working committee, made up of employees from several of the company’s departments, monitors the progress of the project, handles digital accessibility issues and, more broadly, shares information on the subject.

The multiannual scheme for external services is organized into five focus areas: auditing digital media and ensuring it is compliant, informing, equipping, training and managing.

3.1. Auditing and compliance

The aim of this focus area is to assess the compliance status of digital media falling within the scope of the RGAA and to take improvement measures with a view to making them compliant.

3.1.1. Websites

At the time of drafting the multiannual scheme, seven websites have been identified:

  • www.dassault-aviation.com
  • www.dassaultfalcon.com
  • www.dassault-aviation.tv
  • photos.dassault-aviation.com
  • carriere.dassault-aviation.com
  • www.thestore-dassault-aviation.com
  • www.dassault-aviation.com/wp-content/extra/timeline/fr/

Two websites, the most frequently visited, were audited as a priority:

  • www.dassault-aviation.com
  • www.dassaultfalcon.com

The resulting audit reports have made it possible to identify non-conformities and to design and manage remediation plans that will make the websites concerned compliant.

3.1.2. Publications

Each type of publication eligible for compliance actions has been mapped. This mapping needs to be accompanied by an up-to-date inventory of the publications concerned, together with a prioritization process for bringing them into compliance.

Three main actions have been deployed to examine methods for making publications accessible:

  • the use of specialized tools and services;
  • the creation of office document templates that are natively accessible;
  • the training of teams involved in creating accessible documents.

3.1.3. Videos

Videos eligible for compliance updates have been mapped. A number of actions have been planned as a result of this initial work:

  • creating and updating an inventory of the videos concerned;
  • defining a plan for generating subtitles for published videos;
  • developing a qualification process to integrate the generation of subtitles right from the design phase for a target group of eligible videos.

3.2. Informing

The aim of this focus area is to inform the various parties concerned of Dassault Aviation’s obligations in terms of digital accessibility, and in particular within their scope.

The project is presented and training in the fundamentals of digital accessibility is delivered right at the very beginning.

The project committee, led by the digital accessibility advisor for external services, monitors the progress of each of the multiannual scheme’s focus areas. Regular briefings are also scheduled within the “Digital Accessibility” working committee.

3.3. Equipping

The aim of this focus area is to provide the teams concerned with the information and tools they need to be operational when implementing digital accessibility for their projects.

This focus area involves:

  • setting up a process for qualifying and prioritizing digital media as soon as they are created;
  • carrying out a study to set up a video subtitling process;
  • deploying tools to help assess website accessibility;
  • providing accessible communication templates and associated user guides to ensure best practice.

3.4. Training

The aim of this focus area is to familiarize the Dassault Aviation teams with the RGAA and to provide them with the knowledge they need to implement digital accessibility for their projects. Identifying the needs will enable a training plan to be drawn up that is tailored to the different profiles concerned and that will be reassessed annually.

At the same time, specific training courses are scheduled as a priority to support the appointment of the digital accessibility advisor for external services:

  • a series of e-learning training modules;
  • a “Testing website accessibility” course, for optimizing audit analyses and non-conformity remediation plans, as well as training modules on the fundamentals of accessibility.

3.5. Managing

The aim of this focus area is to ensure that the processes required for addressing accessibility are established, implemented and maintained, and that the action plan set out in the multiannual scheme is complied with and monitored.

This focus area aims to:

  • establish project governance;
  • manage the current multiannual scheme in conjunction with the business lines concerned;
  • produce the annual reviews.

2023-2025 action plans

Auditing and compliance

  • Maintain an inventory of the digital media concerned (websites, publications, videos)
  • Audit the www.dassault-aviation.com website
  • Design and manage a remediation plan ensuring the compliance of the www.dassault-aviation.com website
  • Create and audit the “2022 Annual Report” site
  • Bring the “2022 Annual Report”, “2022-2023 Welcome Aboard” and “2022 Annual Financial Report” documents into compliance
  • Generate subtitles for all videos published for the 2023 Paris Air Show

Informing

  • Present the project’s progress to the project committee and the “Digital Accessibility” working committee

Equipping

  • Deploy and use digital accessibility analysis and monitoring tools

Training

  • Follow a series of e-learning training modules
  • Follow the “Testing website and application accessibility” course

Managing

  • Appoint a digital accessibility advisor for external services
  • Establish project governance
  • Contribute to the “Digital Accessibility” working committee’s tasks
  • Publish the 2023 action plan

Auditing and compliance

  • Maintain an inventory of the digital media concerned (websites, publications, videos)
  • Audit the www.dassaultfalcon.com website
  • Audit the www.thestore-dassault-aviation.com website
  • Manage a remediation plan ensuring the compliance of the www.dassault-aviation.com website
  • Design and manage a remediation plan ensuring the compliance of the www.dassaultfalcon.com website
  • Create and audit the “2023 Annual Report” site
  • Bring the “2023 Annual Report” and “2023 Annual Financial Report” documents into compliance
  • Define a subtitling generation plan
  • Generate subtitles for a selection of videos published on www.dassault-aviation.tv

Informing

  • Present the project’s progress to the project committee and the “Digital Accessibility” working committee

Equipping

  • Deploy and use digital accessibility analysis and monitoring tools

Training

  • Follow a series of e-learning training modules

Managing

  • Establish project governance
  • Contribute to the “Digital Accessibility” working committee’s tasks
  • Publish the 2024 action plan