Accessibility Compliance

Web accessibility is the fast growing practice of optimizing website and applications so the full functionality of that asset is available to people with disabilities. In fact, there are a number of Web Standards defined by the W3C and global laws that enable and enforce accessibility compliance.

Digital accessibility guidelines and regulations can be complex. Determining which laws apply to you can vary depending on where your organization is located, the size of your organization and where your customer base lives.

If you’ve been sued, have a demand-letter or fear you’ve missed key compliance deadlines, take the time to get educated.

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Common accessibility compliance laws and guidelines

WCAG

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and are widely accepted as the go-to standard for digital accessibility conformance.

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ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights and equal opportunity law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in the United States.

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Section 508

Section 508 is a sub-section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federal programs or programs receiving federal aid or employment in the United States.

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VPAT

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template used to draft your Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). This helps the world understand how accessible your product or service is for people with disabilities.

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Accessibility compliance laws by region

Canada

Canadian digital accessibility laws cover multiple legislative acts across various territories and provinces. Continue reading to learn about AODA, ACA and the AMA acts which apply to organizations doing business in Canada.

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Europe

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) a directive of the European Union that aims to improve the accessibility of products and services for people with disabilities and the aging population in the EU. This applies to all 27 EU member states and the organizations doing business in them.

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Asia-Pacific

Across APAC there are various laws and guidelines that apply, including the Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), or India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) Act and many more.

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Middle East and North Africa

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are advancing digital accessibility, aligning with WCAG standards, and introducing local mandates.

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Taking Action

If you’re on this page, you’re probably in need of immediate answers. This list of resources should help you take the next step.

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How Deque Can Help

Responding to an immediate need, or building the foundation for a sustainable and long term digital accessibility practice, Deque has the most complete suite of tools, services and training available. Our accessibility library has been downloaded 2 Billion+ times. Our accessibility testing extensions have been downloaded 875,000+ times, and we’ve completed 8,000+ projects.

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Audit

Most accessibility projects begin and end with an audit – they assess the current state of your site or application’s accessibility resulting in a clear accessibility report.

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Remediation

Getting help from our team of experts will ensure your accessibility fixes will meet your compliance requirements as quickly and effectively as possible.

Learn More about accessibility remediation

axe Testing Tools

The axe DevTools, axe Auditor and axe Monitor products enable accessibility experts and development to test and maintain accessibility end-to-end.

Learn More about the axe Tool Suite