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Legislation requires websites to be accessible to disabled users. A compliant website not only ensures a safe and effective experience for all users, but it also protects you from liability.
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Our website accessibility checker does the hard work for you, scanning your website’s code to identify accessibility deficiencies
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Audit your website against major legislations around the world
Including elaborate explanations and recommended solutions
WCAG stands for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They are the most important guidelines for web accessibility policy, created by the World Wide Web Consortium, known as the W3C. The W3C is a non-profit organization founded in the halls of MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science in 1994.
The WCAG 2.1 in itself is not considered as legislation, but being the most important guidelines for web accessibility, they set the standard for web accessibility legislation in most countries in the world, for example:
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ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Essentially it states that any private business, group, or entity should make sure it doesn’t discriminate anyone based on ability or disability.
ADA is a very broad act, affecting many different aspects of accessibility for people with disabilities both in the physical and digital spaces. The part that affects the way business communicates with customers online is called “Title III”, therefore often when web accessibility is discussed, it’s being referred to as ADA Title III.
ADA Title III is not a set of standards, it’s US-based legislation, enforcing private websites to comply with the WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Guidelines.
Both are American legislations that are based on the global WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines. Section 508 enforces Government websites and federal funded entities, while ADA title III affects the entire private sector.
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Section 508 is an official US legislation enforcing accessibility requirements for federal-funded information and communication technology (ICT) and 3d parties giving services to federal entities.
The US access board published its latest section 508 revision in 2017 with the following breakdown:
Yes. Some US-based websites must comply with Section 508’s accessibility guidelines, essentially the WCAG 2.0 Mark II standards.
If your website is:
Then based on section 508, you’re open for legal actions unless your website complies with WCAG 2.0 mark II standards.
You can use a web accessibility checker to ensure your website is compliant.
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The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, or AODA, was ratified in 2005 by provincial authorities to fix the lack of accessibility to services in Ontario, Canada. Among other topics, the AODA clearly defines the need for website accessibility compliance, like most web accessibility legislation, based on W3C’s WCAG 2.0 Guidelines.
AODA has important due days:
If your business is registered in Ontario, Canada, then yes. AODA states that its rules apply to all Ontario-based websites, whether they’re federally funded or private websites run by individuals and corporations.
AODA’s accessibility requirements are advised to comply. Failure to comply can result in fines of $50,000 per day or part day for individuals and fines of up to $100,000 per day or part day for corporations.
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The Accessibility Canada Act (ACA) is a federal law in Canada that requires various industries to comply with the global WCAG accessibility guidelines.
Established on 11 July 2019 by the ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) and enforced by a dedicated accessibility commissioner and a governmental council called the ASDO (which is comprised of a majority of people with disabilities), it’s clear that Canada takes online accessibility seriously.
Do I need to comply with ACA?
Unlike the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act), the ACA is a federal-level law, applying to almost all geographic areas of Canada.
Besides the public sector, ACA’s legislation is preparing to enforce WCAG accessibility guidelines on private-sector websites, including SMB’s by the end of 2021.
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The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a recent EU legislation (published in 2019) that requires accessibility for digital products and services.
EN 301549 is a policy document produced by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), essentially the official EU standards for web accessibility.
The EAA stated that private European websites must be accessible and comply with its requirements by June 28, 2025.
The EAA Official Fact Sheet states that the law will “not impose detailed technical solutions telling how to make” a site compliant. However, you’ll find general requirements and non-binding examples within the legislation.
The EAA acknowledges W3C and its global WCAG accessibility guidelines; therefore, WCAG’s requirements are considered a valid solution to the EAA legislation.
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The name BIVT (Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung) means “barrier-free information technology regulation”. It came into force on September 22, 2011; BITV is a federal ordinance based on the German act on equal opportunities for disabled persons of 2002.
BIVT aims to ensure that people with disabilities can access all Internet content and services provided by German federal institutions.
The BITV requirements apply to German federal government websites. However, the government encourages state and local agencies and commercial providers to build websites that are accessible.
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DDA stands for “Disability Discrimination Act.” It was passed in 1992 by the parliament of Australia to promote the rights of people with disabilities in certain areas such as housing, education, and provision of goods and services. The act refers to WCAG 2.0 as the benchmark for best practices in the design of accessible websites.
The DDA is supplemented by a series of Disability Standards and Guidelines. These provide more details on rights and responsibilities about equal access and opportunity for people with a disability.
According to section 9 of the DTA (digital transformation agency of the Australian government), public sector websites need to ensure the service is accessible and inclusive of all users regardless of their ability and environment.
Businesses and public spaces not providing equal access opportunities may risk complaints to the Australian human rights commission. It is unlawful not to provide equal access opportunities, making private sectors vulnerable and susceptible to lawsuits. Use a website accessibility checker to determine if your website is compliant.
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On February 11, 2005, the French parliament passed the “equal rights and opportunities of people with disabilities,” also named the RGAA, based on WCAG 2.0
The RGAA aims to provide a framework for the accessibility of digital content.
Its current version constitutes a reference system to verify conformance with the WCAG 2.0 international standards. Its objective is to propose criteria and tests to confirm that accessibility rules are respected and followed.
The level of conformance recommended by the RGAA is AA.
The law of 2005 indicates that all online public communication services of the State, the local authorities, and the public institutions that depend on it need to comply.
Any organization, public or private, undertaking an activity of general interest under the control of a public person is concerned.
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AC’s (Accessibility Checker) mission is to arm businesses with the most accurate, up to date and reliable information regarding web accessibility in order to avoid lawsuits, and in turn, help scale up web accessibility and create an easy, seamless web experience for the wider disabled community.
No. Accessibility Checker (AC) is an audit tool and informational website. It can only tell you what’s not compliant on your website, how to fix it, and then recommend different solutions to match your needs.
The Accessibility Checker auditing tool has no legal authority, but it does provide a detailed analysis of your website’s accessibility state that can be used to help your team decide on a course of action.
The accessibility checker auditing tool scans your website and checks for accessibility errors and issues worldwide (WCAG 2.1 level AA) and local (selected countries only) standards and legislations.
No. The accessibility checker audits your website’s current state, without saving or collecting any further data. Read the full review about Accessibility Checker.