The BOE of today, Thursday, September 3, publishes the new Regulation on the basic conditions of cognitive accessibility, a standard that establishes for the first time a common framework to facilitate that people can understand information, communicate, and interact with their environment with greater autonomy. Royal Decree 707/2026 extends these conditions to areas such as administrations, services, telecommunications, public spaces, buildings, and transportation.
The standard is based on a concrete idea: an accessibility barrier is not always physical. An administrative notification that is difficult to understand, confusing signage, a complex form, or unclear instructions can also prevent a person from exercising a right or using a service. The regulation establishes minimum conditions for the entire national territory, which autonomous communities and local entities may expand within their competencies.
Plain language and easy reading enter the new framework
The regulation establishes that cognitively accessible information must be able to be offered in different formats, including written texts, pictograms, sound, visual supports, tactile resources, or information and communication technologies. In terms of safety, health, and emergencies, in addition, the information must be easily perceptible and identifiable regardless of the cognitive abilities of the person.
When easy reading or clear language are not mandatory in a particular case, the information must be provided at least in plain language. The standard defines this concept as a form of communication that takes into account what the person needs to know, their experience, and their linguistic competence, and that uses, among other tools, short sentences and commonly used words.
Websites, applications, and digital services are also included
Public administrations and private providers included in the field of telecommunications and information society services must adopt sufficient measures to ensure cognitive accessibility. The requirements apply to both content and documents and forms, multimedia elements, and interaction systems.
The regulation expressly mentions digital processes such as identification, authentication, signing, and payment, in addition to the mechanisms used to accept conditions or contract services. Public service channels must contemplate different forms and formats of accessible communication and, in particular, augmentative and alternative communication.
New rules for buildings, streets, and transportation
In urbanized public spaces, cognitive accessibility must facilitate that people can locate themselves, orient themselves, and understand how to use a facility. The standard includes criteria on signage, symbology, tactile resources, communication, and control of sensory stimuli, in addition to providing for the access of personal assistants and support persons when necessary.
In newly constructed public spaces, these conditions will be applicable within the framework established by the corresponding regulations, while in existing ones they will be enforceable when renovations occur. In buildings, the requirements will apply to new constructions, major interventions, and elements affected by certain actions on existing properties.
Transportation is also included. Stations, stops, routes, and vehicles must move towards easy and intuitive systems, with signals and information in written, auditory, or tactile formats. The application of these principles in signs and notices will be carried out progressively and, in any case, within a maximum period of fifteen years, prioritizing infrastructures with higher traffic.
The elections incorporate specific supports for people with cognitive difficulties
One of the most concrete changes affects electoral processes. The Zone Electoral Boards, in coordination with the corresponding electoral administration, must guarantee in polling places the presence of a person responsible for explaining to those who need it the steps they must follow during voting, always preserving the secrecy and freedom of the vote.
People with cognitive difficulties may also come with a support person of their choice. Polling places must have accessible signage and electoral administrations will prepare a cognitively accessible guide that explains the voting process and will be available before the election day.
The communications about the dates of the elections, the table, the polling place, and the voting schedule must use easy reading, just like the instruction manuals directed at those who are part of the tables. The voting materials must also incorporate guidelines and recommendations for easy reading.
The electoral programs must be more understandable
The regulation also applies to political organizations. Their electoral programs must be published, at least, in simple language and must promote visual support systems to facilitate the understanding of their proposals. In addition, those contents must be available in audio or tactile format and with the possibility of using support technologies.
After the elections to the European Parliament, the general elections, and the local elections, the parties must submit a report on the accessibility measures implemented within a maximum period of six months. In the regional elections, that report will be presented to the electoral board of the autonomous community. These obligations will be optional for organizations that only participate in municipalities with less than 5,000 registered people.
The new regulation will come into force on January 2, 2027. In addition, it establishes a period of three years for the Royal Board on Disability, through the Spanish Center for Cognitive Accessibility, to propose a reference catalog of pictograms for signage. The competent ministry in matters of disability must approve it subsequently.