2025-2027 multi-year digital accessibility plan

Publication date: 19/05/2026

1. Introduction

1.1. Regulatory context

Section 47 of French Law No. 2005-102 of 11 February 2005 “on equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship for people with disabilities” has been progressively updated and now requires all public online communication services to be accessible to everyone. Sopra Steria Group is required to draw up a multi-year plan for making its digital services accessible, which must be made public and broken down into annual action plans, for a maximum period of three years.

1.2. Definition of digital accessibility

LDisability is defined as: any limitation of activity or restriction on participation in society experienced by a person in their environment due to a substantial, lasting or permanent impairment of one or more physical, sensory, mental, cognitive or psychological functions, a multiple disability or a disabling health condition (Article L. 114 of the French Social Action and Families Code).

Digital accessibility involves making online public communication services accessible to people with disabilities, that is to say: 

• Perceivable: for example, facilitating the user’s visual and auditory perception of the content; providing text alternatives for all non-text content; creating content that can be presented in different ways without loss of information or structure (for example, with a simplified layout). 
• Usable: for example, providing the user with navigational cues to find content; making all features accessible via the keyboard; allowing the user sufficient time to read and use the content; avoiding content that could trigger epileptic seizures. 
• Understandable: for example, ensuring that pages behave in a predictable manner; helping the user to correct input errors. 
• Robust: for example, optimising compatibility with current and future uses, including assistive technologies. 

1.3 Objectives of the multi-year accessibility plan  

This multi-year plan sets out, for the period 2025–2027, the approach to improving the accessibility of the company’s digital services. Its purpose is to structure, plan and prioritise actions as part of the ongoing continuous improvement process. More broadly, it aims to enhance Sopra Steria’s maturity in the area of digital accessibility. 

This multi-year plan is the first to be published by Sopra Steria. It will be updated regularly, and at least annually, to take account of the annual review and action plan. 

It is accompanied by an annual action plan detailing the operations planned for the current year, namely 2025, and is described in the section on actions planned for 2025. 

2. Group digital accessibility policy 

Sopra Steria’s sustainable performance approach is underpinned by the company’s mission: “Together, building a positive future by putting digital technology at the service of people”. As a provider of digital consultancy and services, the company is firmly convinced that digital technologies can create a virtuous circle that benefits society as a whole, provided the human dimension is properly taken into account. 

With this in mind, we aim to make responsible digital technology a cornerstone of our business and establish it as a distinctive feature of the Sopra Steria brand, with a view to becoming a market leader in this field. One of the key challenges is therefore to contribute to digital technology that promotes equal opportunities and diversity, which involves taking digital accessibility into account in the solutions we offer our clients. This should help to reduce barriers to use for people with disabilities and make these solutions more accessible to everyone. 

A number of steps already taken by the company demonstrate the first concrete results: 

2021: the Group joined the ILO’s (International Labour Organisation) Global Business and Disability Network. 

2023: Awarded the Sustainable IT label – Level 1 from the INR (Institut du Numérique Responsable), following an audit conducted by the LUCIE agency, covering the France – Consulting and Integration activitiess. 

• 2024: creation of a dedicated Digital Sustainability team within the CSR department. 
• 2024: drafting of a Responsible Digital roadmap covering the period 2025–2027. 
• 2025: appointment of a Group Digital Accessibility Officer  

Among the objectives set for 2025, the first year of implementation of this roadmap: 

• Obtain the Sustainable IT label – Level 2 – for the already certified French operations. 
• Extend Level 1 certification to other Group entities. 
• Strengthen the internal governance of the digital accessibility programme. 

At the same time, initiatives are being carried out across the company’s various entities, countries and subsidiaries to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities, with a view to: 

• Support employees with disabilities through a tailored listening and support scheme. 
• Raise awareness among staff to promote the professional integration of people with disabilities. 
• Collaborate with organisations specialising in the employment of employees with disabilities. 
• Facilitate access to higher education for young people with disabilities. 
• Encourage innovation to improve the daily lives of people with disabilities. 

In the UK, for example, Sopra Steria achieved Level 3 “Disability Confident Leader” accreditation in 2024, the highest level of the government’s Disability Confident programme, which aims to promote inclusive practices in the workplace.  

These initiatives will form part of the Group’s future comprehensive “Disability Policy”, which will be launched shortly and will include this digital accessibility programme. 

3. Technical and functional scope 

The scope of digital accessibility applies to the following digital interfaces: 

• Websites: internet, intranet and extranet. 
• Mobile applications. 

This includes business applications, administrative management tools, and internal and external portals. 

3.1 Inventory of digital services 

An initial review of this scope was carried out in 2024 to support the progress plan included in the Responsible Digital 2025–2027 roadmap. This enabled the identification of the digital services concerned, the audits already carried out and the scores obtained.  

3.2 Assessment and classification 

Services are classified according to three priority levels (high, medium, low) in order to plan the audits to be carried out in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The classification of digital services is based on the following criteria: usage, criticality of the service provided, and lifecycle (application will remain in use). 

This macro-level approach will be updated and refined each year to enable the development of a more detailed action plan. 

Accessibility also concerns documentation, digital media and communication practices. An assessment of the current situation in this area has not yet been carried out. 

4. Governance and management 

4.1 Digital Accessibility Officer 

On¹ July 2025, Sopra Steria created the role of Group Digital Accessibility Officer within the company. 

The Officer is part of the Digital Sustainability Team within the CSR department. This role is dedicated to steering the Digital Accessibility policy. 

The implementation of the digital accessibility policy within the Group has two main objectives: 

• To improve the accessibility of the company’s applications; 
• To strengthen the organisation’s overall maturity in terms of digital accessibility. 

To achieve these objectives, the Digital Accessibility Officer plays a central role. Their main responsibilities are as follows: 

• To monitor audit activities and the gradual compliance of the company’s digital services; 
• Promoting the integration of accessibility into the practices of operational units and support functions; 
• Ensuring teams develop their skills in digital accessibility; 
• Supporting business units and projects in the implementation of accessibility practices; 
• Taking into account feedback from people with disabilities to identify and address any accessibility issues; 
• Monitor legal and technical developments relating to accessibility; 
• Lead the Group’s community of digital accessibility experts. 

4.2 Sponsorship 

Sponsorship of the digital accessibility policy is considered a key factor in ensuring the sustainability of the initiative. It is led by the CSR department, which is represented on the company’s Executive Committee (COMEX) and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer. 

4.3 Steering meetings 

4.3.1 Steering Committee 

A steering committee will be established from the second half of 2025 to monitor the implementation of the digital accessibility policy. 

It meets every two months and is chaired by the Head of Digital Sustainability and the Digital Accessibility Officer, bringing together representatives from the following departments: CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), IT Department (Information Systems), DI (Industrial Direction) and Communication Department. Other departments or business unit representatives may be invited depending on the agenda.  

4.3.2 Strategic Committee 

A strategic committee will be established starting in 2026. It will meet annually at the start of the year to review the past year, set out the objectives for the coming year and present the main associated action plans. 

It will be chaired by the Head of Digital Sustainability and the Digital Accessibility Officer and will bring together representatives from the following departments: CSR, IT Department, DI, Communication Department, HR and Procurement. 

4.4 Description of resources allocated to digital accessibility 

Digital accessibility requires specific human, technical and financial resources, which are defined during the budget cycles: 

• A Group Digital Accessibility Officer is dedicated to the subject. 
• Trained staff or external partners carry out accessibility audits. 
• Financial resources are dedicated to raising awareness and training employees. 
• Resources are allocated to improving the level of accessibility of the company’s applications. 

5. Organising the implementation of digital accessibility 

5.1 Staff awareness 

A 40-minute e-learning module entitled “Everyone plays a part in digital accessibility” is included in the training programme for all French-speaking employees of the Group. It provides an overview of digital accessibility, addressing in particular the challenges involved and its integration into the various phases of a project, illustrated by real-life examples and supplemented by downloadable resources. 

5.2 Staff training 

An internal training catalogue has been available since early 2025 via the Sopra Steria Academy, covering the key skills required to address digital accessibility in projects. 

This catalogue was developed with the support of our partner Ethic First, a consultancy firm specialising in digital accessibility. 

The following training courses are offered in French and English depending on the role:  

• Developers: Develop accessible websites and web applications (duration: 2 days) 
• Business Analysts & UX Designers: Design inclusive, functional interfaces (duration: 1 day) 
• Project Managers: Integrating and managing accessibility in your projects (duration: 1 day) 
• Testers & Business Analysts: Test website accessibility (duration: 2 days) and test mobile app accessibility (duration: 2 days) 

5.3 Conducting an accessibility audit 

Audits are used to assess the accessibility of interfaces, based on the international WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standard. It identifies errors in the digital service and enables the tracking of corrections. 

The aim is to make its use widespread and systematic. 

The company has a pool of staff trained and certified in accessibility auditing to carry out and monitor audits. These in-house experts are essential for ensuring a rigorous and continuous assessment of online services and content. The accessibility lead plays a key role in supporting this improvement process, coordinating internal efforts and ensuring that audit recommendations are implemented effectively. 

In addition to these in-house capabilities, we engage external partners, including Ethic First, whenever necessary. Ethic First is an external service provider specialising in digital accessibility, offering in-depth audit services and advice on digital accessibility.  

5.4 Incorporating digital accessibility into projects 

The production process for internal projects must be adapted to take into account the requirements relating to the digital accessibility of user interfaces under the following conditions: 

• The design and development phases of the user interface must comply with the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). 
• The continuous integration pipeline is enhanced with tools to automate some of the accessibility testing. 
• Specific accessibility tests are integrated into the software qualification phase. 
• Conducting an accessibility audit enables compliance with reporting obligations and the publication of an accessibility statement. 
• Any accessibility issues detected during the audit are added to the backlog of fixes to be addressed. 
• It is essential to ensure that the project team is trained in digital accessibility. 

The approach to adapting projects is as follows: 

• For new digital services, a new production process is implemented to incorporate digital accessibility natively. 
• For existing digital services, an initial audit is carried out, then the accessibility issues detected are incorporated and prioritised in the project team’s backlog, in order to progressively improve the application’s compliance level over the course of sprints and new versions. 

5.5 Procurement of digital services 

Sopra Steria has produced a guide dedicated to the responsible procurement of digital goods and services, with a view to strengthening procurement processes by incorporating the specific characteristics of the digital sector. 

This guide is integrated into the tendering process to establish selection criteria, during the acceptance phase of the goods and services ordered, and throughout the commercial relationship to initiate a progress plan. 

It sets out the responsible digital requirements and includes both: 

• Cross-cutting requirements relating to the supplier’s responsible digital policy, 
• Specific requirements by product type, particularly for software. 

Requirements relating to digital accessibility are set out in detail: declaration obligations and compliance obligations. 

5.6 Support and handling of user feedback 

In accordance with the provisions of the RGAA (General Framework for Improving Accessibility), a contact channel has been established to enable users with disabilities to report any difficulties they encounter. 

These users can contact the Group digital accessibility officer by email (at: _SSG.support.digital.accessibility@soprasteria.com) or by telephone (on: +33 1 40 67 29 29). 

5.7 Regulatory and technical monitoring 

Regulatory monitoring enables us to track legislative developments, both at national level—such as updates to the RGAA (General Framework for Improving Accessibility)—and at European level, with EU (European Union) directives and regulations. Staying informed helps ensure the organisation’s compliance and enables us to propose actions to improve the accessibility of digital services. 

Understanding initiatives and best practices within various communities and specialist stakeholders helps to inform the company by drawing inspiration from case studies and feedback. Particular emphasis is placed on the latest technological developments to enable the company to remain at the forefront of innovation in the field of digital inclusion. 

Sopra Steria is an active member of the “Manifeste Inclusion” and “Institut du Numérique Responsable " non-profit organisations, as well as the professional organisation Numeum. As such, the company benefits from initiatives offering useful guides and recommendations to improve digital service design methods. 

5.8 Community management 

To support our Digital Sustainability roadmap, a network of ambassadors was established within the company in early 2025 to ensure effective coordination of accessibility initiatives across the Group’s various entities. This community serves as a channel for sharing knowledge and providing support for the initiatives undertaken. 

In line with this, a community with strong expertise in digital accessibility will be established. It will comprise professionals representing the various fields of digital accessibility (auditors, trainers, consultants, designers, developers). This community will serve as a forum for these professionals to exchange experiences and best practices across all the Group’s countries and subsidiaries. The Groupdigital accessibility officer will coordinate this community. 

6. Action Plans  

6.1 Actions planned for 2025  

As part of the implementation of the 2025–2027 multi-year plan, the main actions planned for 2025 are set out below 

6.2 2026 

The initial guidelines for 2026 are as follows: 

• Addressing the accessibility of digital media and communication practices.  
• Training for content producers  
• Extending staff awareness-raising initiatives to all entities, including non-French-speaking ones 
• Launch of new entity/country websites as part of the DXP (Digital Experience Platform) project 
• Defining indicators to evaluate the company’s maturity in terms of digital accessibility 
• Conducting audits of medium-priority enterprise applications 
  

6.3 2027 

The initial priorities for 2027 concern the completion of audits of low-priority enterprise applications.