Accessibility... by law
Laws and Directives about accessibility from around the world
Front end developer, Accessibility advocate, Avid learner... I'm really just Another Coding Guy.
In later years Accessibility has gathered quite a lot of support from governments internationally. This is only a quick overview: please, verify your country's legislation when deploying your website/web-app to be sure you're compliant!
Australia
Australia Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992): Notes recommending WCAG 2.0 AA conformance for government and non-government websites and web resources.
Canada
Accessible Canada Act (ACA): accessibility regulations that will apply to sectors within the federal jurisdiction and requirements for organizations to follow to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Protects from discrimination based on disability.
Canadian Standard on Web Accessibility: all Canadian government (and federally funded organizations) websites and web applications have to conform to WCAG 2.0 AA.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA): requires WCAG 2.0 AA conformance for government websites, companies and NGOs
European Union
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
EU 2016/2102 Directive: Grants accessibility standards for public sector websites and mobile apps
EN 301 549 Directive: Sets the standard WCAG 2.1 AA for digital accessibility requirements for member states, and for their information and communications technology (ICT).
India
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act: Incorporates the Convention on the Rights on the Persons of Persons with Disabilities Act for Indian Government Websites
Israel
Israel Standard 5568: Establishes WCAG 2.0 AA as the accessibility standard for both public and private entities.
Japan
Japanese Industrial Standard X 8413-3: Instead of following WCAG, incorporates International Organization of Standardization Guideline 71
New Zealand
New Zealand Human Rights Act: It defends human rights, disability discrimination included.
Web Accessibility Standard 1.1: public and non-public service agencies must follow WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
United Kingdom
The Equality Act of 2010: all private and public entities providing services to the public must conform to these guidelines to avoid discrimination against people with disabilities.
British National Standard (BSI 8878): published by the British Standards Institution, this Code of Practice sets the web accessibility guidelines for developing accessible web apps.
United States
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): anti-discrimination law, extended in its interpretation to also cover digital products.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and 508: Sets WCAG 2.0 AA as the standard for federal agencies
Does your country have a specific law/directive about accessibility? Or maybe something has changed from what there's in this article? Let me know to update!
