Global Law and Policy

On This Page

This page contains information about laws that protect disabled people’s rights to participate in the digital world. These laws recognize that access to websites, digital content, and other technology is a civil and human right of disabled people. There is a growing number of countries around the world with these laws. Many of them are listed here with links to laws, articles, or regulations. This page was first written as an article in May of 2013 in honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and has been updated since then. In April 2023 there was a major update to make this page more current. Lainey thanks everyone who has shared content about digital access law and policy. Contributors are thanked at the end of each country. Lainey welcomes information to keep this page current. Please contact her with updates, broken links, or errors.

The legal framework gives us permission to dream what is possible. Lizzie Kiama (Kenya) at Microsoft Ability Summit 2021

Welcome to LFLegal’s Digital Accessibility Global Law and Policy page. The content of this page illustrates two things I often say:

  • Accessibility is global
  • The global accessibility community is generous

Please read the Introduction before diving into the digital accessibility laws and policies listed on this page. After the Introduction countries are organized into Regions. Regions are listed alphabetically and countries are listed alphabetically within regions.



Introduction

No legal advice | Creative Commons

    • Nothing on this page is legal advice from Lainey Feingold, the Law Office of Lainey Feingold, or from any of the listed contributors.
    • This page updates and replaces an article I first wrote for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) in 2013. It is a community resource. Like everything on this website, this page is presented under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Please use the contents of this page to advance digital accessibility under the terms of the license.

    Page content | regions | translation notes

    • The focus of this page is digital accessibility laws and policies. Digital accessibility includes access (by both users and creators) to websites, mobile applications, kiosks, workplace software, and other technology and digital content.
    • Countries listed here may have other laws and policies impacting disability rights and the lives of disabled people that are not mentioned. In particular, there may be general anti-discrimination laws that could potentially be used to support digital inclusion that may not be included here.
    • This page does not contain an exhaustive list of digital accessibility laws or policies around the globe. There may be countries with digital accessibility laws that are not listed. And while most countries that are listed were updated in April 2023, content may not be current as of the date you are visiting this page. Other resources for digital accessibility law and policy are linked below.
    • Please use the Contact Page on this website to let me know what is missing, what should be changed, what is not current.
    • A note about Regions: I did the best I could organizing the countries on this page into regions that made sense to me and I hope make sense to readers. I considered geography as well as culture, and sought advice from people within various countries. If you have suggestions for improving the region structure of the page, or for moving a country into a different region, please let me know.
    • A note about Translation: If linked content is presented in HTML on a webpage I have not indicated the original language because readers can use machine translation from the browser (or human translation ) to render the page in the language they need. If linked content is in a PDF I have indicated the language of the original document because PDF documents cannot be automatically translated in the browser. (Documents can be translated with the Google Translate document translation page and other software tools.  Also, Adobe offers this resource about translating PDFs. In updating this page I did not explore the possibility of generative AI tools like ChatGPT to provide translation.
    • Please note that any translations on this page have been rendered using machine translation software such as Google Translate, and have not been reviewed for accuracy by a human. Machine translation may provide a good sense of what laws exist and what they provide, but machine translation does not work equally well across all languages. There may be inaccuracies in some of the translations, including translation of legislation titles. Translated content on this page should not be relied on for definitive information about legal rights and remedies.

    Implementation of Laws

    • Laws, policies, and regulations protecting the rights of disabled people to participate in the digital world are important. Like the quote at the top of this page says so beautifully, the legal framework creates the possibility to dream an inclusive world.
    • But laws are not enough. Implementation and enforcement breathe life into laws and related regulations and policies. I wrote in the United States section of this page about how laws are implemented in this country, and I’d love to learn more about implementation and enforcement initiatives in other countries. I welcome contributions of that content. And of course, gratitude to public and private organizations and individuals who don’t wait for enforcement actions to implement the laws and policies listed on this page.

    Thank you to contributors and web designer Natalie MacLees

    • In February 2023 I put out a call on social media asking for updated content for this page. The response was overwhelming and gratifying. Honestly, experiencing the generosity of the global accessibility community, meeting new accessibility (a11y) champions, and connecting with old friends and colleagues from around the world added a joyful community dimension to my work of this project.
    • All contributors to this page are listed under the country they contributed content for.  The listing for each individual or organizational contributor includes a link to either their LinkedIn page or website. I’m hoping this will lead to more connections within the global accessibility network!
    • Of course, while I so value the contributions and couldn’t have done this update without them, any mistakes you find here are mine alone.
    • You too can be a contributor to this page by sending me information on countries not yet listed, or updates to the countries you find here.
    • As with everything on LFLegal, gratitude to my wonderful web designer / developer Natalie MacLees of DigitA11y. To handle all the updates the community sent in Natalie built a system on the backend of this WordPress site to make it easier for me to update and add new countries, organize countries into regions, and recognize contributors. And now the public-facing page looks better too! While this content used to be in an article I’ve updated since 2013, it is now its own page available under the top navigation drop down Laws and Updates menu.

    Other resources for global digital accessibility laws

    Readers are encouraged to review these other global accessibility or disability law and policy resources:

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*Global

United Nations Treaties

Updated on December 2, 2023

  • CRPD: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) is a comprehensive document ratified by over 185 countries, though not the United States. Article 9 of the CRPD, titled “Accessibility” recognizes the right of people with disabilities to full participation, including access to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems. Read the full CRPD. Read the post on this website about how the United States senate failed to ratify the CRPD in 2012. Shamefully, as of April 15, 2023, the CRPD is still not ratified by the U.S.
  • CRPD Optional Protocol: The Optional Protocol to the CRPD is an additional agreement to the CRPD that establishes an individual complaint process for disabled people who allege that their rights under the Convention have been denied. The Optional Protocol has to be signed separately by countries who ratify the CRPD. As of october 2023 94 countries have signed the Optional Protocol (as compared to over 180 that have signed the CRPD itself.
  • WIPO: In June, 2013, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations agency, adopted a landmark treaty to advance the right to read for people who are blind or otherwise print-disabled. Read the WIPO press release about adoption of the Treaty. The treaty, officially known as the “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled” eliminates copyright roadblocks that have created an international “book famine” for those who need alternative formats to standard print information. Read the 2013 article on this website about the WIPO Treaty.

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Africa

Kenya

Updated on April 13, 2023

  • In May 2022 Kenya published its first digital accessibility standards. Announced at the Inclusive Africa conference in late May, the news was reported as follows:

    The  Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) in partnership with inABLE has launched the first-ever Inclusivity ICT Standards in Africa at the Inclusive Africa Conference. The new standard, gazetted on 13th May 2022 is set to ensure that Public and Private sector digital products and services are accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PWD’s), older persons largely disconnected from most e-government services, and business owned digital platforms.Kenya gazettes ICT Standards to ensure digital inclusion of persons with disabilities

    (If you’re like me and are unfamiliar with the word “gazettes” in this context, a quick search gave me the definition: “to announce or publish (something) in an official gazette.”)

  • Congratulations to Irene Mbari-Kirika, inABLE Executive Director, for her critical role in spearhead this accessibility milestone. She explained the significance of the standards as follows:

    The Standards for Accessibility- ICT Products and Services is a game changer for public and private organizations who must now prioritize digital accessibility compliance to ensure that everyone, especially PWDs, can access their websites, mobile applications, and other digital resources.”Irene Mbari-Kirika, in official standards announcement

  • Read Kenya Standard DKS 2952-1:2021, Accessibility IT Products and Services (92 page PDF)
  • KEBS and inABLE are spearheading the implementation framework for the accessibility regulations. This phase that will be ongoing for a duration of not less than five years to ensure full implementation of KS2952. It is standard procedure to review any Standard that comes into force every five years to include changes and emerging issues in the sector.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Kenya: inABLE

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Nigeria

Updated on December 2, 2023

In January 2019 Nigeria’s President signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018. Disability rights groups and activists in Nigeria had fought for the bill for almost a decade. [I have been unable to find an accessible version of the law online and will add a link to the law when I do.]

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Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand

Updated on April 16, 2023

[Note: Following the recommendation of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, this website refers to this country as Aotearoa New Zealand. Aotearoa is the current Māori-language name for New Zealand. Māori are the indigenous people of the country.]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Aotearoa New Zealand: Jesse Sookne, Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights Commission

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Australia

Updated on April 16, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Australia: Andrew Arch

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Canada and United States

Canada – National

Updated on April 13, 2023

[See also Canada – Provinces on this page]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Canada – National: Jesse Snooke, Lisa Snider, Mike Gifford, David Lepofsky

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Canada – Provinces

Updated on April 13, 2023

This section lists accessibility laws and policies in Canadian provinces. Visit the Canada – National section for laws and policies applicable across the country.

British Columbia

Manitoba

  • In the Canadian province of Manitoba, the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) became law in 2013. It focuses on barriers for people with disabilities, not general human rights. The legislation applies to both the public and private sectors, and there are rolling timelines for different sectors. It is made up of five standards, covering the areas of customer service, employment, information and communication, transportation and the built environment. The customer service standard was enacted in 2016, the employment standard is expected to be enacted in 2017 and the information and communications standard is being worked on as of mid 2017. The Province of Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office (DIO) supports the legislation

Nova Scotia

  • In the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the Accessibility Act (Bill 59) became law in 2017. It focuses on barriers for people with disabilities, not general human rights.

    The Nova Scotia legislation applies to both the public and private sectors, and there are rolling timelines for different sectors. The law is made up of six standards, covering the areas of the delivery and receipt of goods and services, employment, information and communication, public transportation and transportation infrastructure, education and the built environment.

  • The Province of Nova Scotia has launched the Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate with resources and information about the Act.

New Foundland and Labrador

Ontario

  • In the Canadian province of Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) covers provincially-regulated public and private activities and standards have been enacted for the provision of accessible Information and Communications. Read the April 2014 A Guide to the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation.
  • AODA is notable as it carries a $100,000.00 fine for corporations that fail to comply, although there has been recent criticism that the law is not being effectively enforced. There were five original standards: Customer Service, Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation and Design of Public Spaces. A Health Care standard was added in 2016/17, and an Education standard was proposed in mid 2017.
  • The Ontario Human Rights Code covers provincially-regulated activities.

Saskatchewan

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Canada – Provinces: David Lepofsky, Mike Gifford

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United States – federal (national)

Updated on April 17, 2023

The digital accessibility legal landscape is flourishing in the United States. Significant strides towards full inclusion of people with disabilities in the digital world have been made as a result of a strong legal framework, grassroots advocacy, litigation by both private parties and the federal government, Structured Negotiation, and successful administrative complaints and guidance from the United States Department of Justice and other agencies.

This section of the LFLegal Global Law and Policy page lists federal (national) digital accessibility laws, regulations, and examples of implementation. Resources for staying abreast of the United States digital accessibility legal landscape are also listed.

National laws apply across the United States, although they may be interpreted differently by courts in different parts of the country. Visit the section of this page titled United States – state and local governments for additional information about  digital accessibility laws and policies in individual states or cities.

Resources to keep up with the digital accessibility legal space in the United States

Section 508

Section 508 requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities and requires the federal government to purchase technology that is accessible.

United States – state and local governments

Updated on April 17, 2023

[Note: See the United States – federal (national) section of this page for laws applying across the United States, as well as resources for keeping up with U.S. digital accessibility legal developments.]

There are fifty states in the United States and many of them have laws preventing disability discrimination that have been used to advocate for digital accessibility. Many states also have state accessible procurement laws similar to Section 508 (the federal accessible procurement law). In addition to state law requirements, a few cities have laws impacting digital accessibility.

Some state laws allow a person with a disability to seek damages (money payment) in a lawsuit for disability discrimination in the digital space. Most web accessibility lawsuits are filed in these states, because the Americans with Disabilities Act does not provide for this type of money damages. New York, California, and Florida have the largest number of lawsuits filed.

This section of the LFLegal global accessibility law and policy page has examples of these state and local laws in the United States. It is not at all exhaustive. It is important to learn about the laws in states where you live and where your organization does business or makes digital content available. Organizations providing websites and mobile applications may be subject to laws of any state where the digital content may be accessed.

  • The US General Services Agency (GSA), a federal government agency, has a page on its Section 508 website that lists some state laws and policies about procuring accessible technology. This website does not appear to be exhaustive, but is a good place to start when looking for states with state accessible procurement requirements. The GSA page is described as including “resources and links that may help you to see which states have published laws and or policies on developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology.”
  • The Disabled Persons Act in California is an example of a State law that allows a disabled person to collect damages for disability discrimination related to digital barriers.The lawsuit against Target regarding the inaccessibility of Target’s website was in part based on this California statute. Read about the 2008 Target web accessibility settlement.
  • As of July 1, 2019 California’s AB (Assembly Bill) 434 required all state agencies in California to post on their website a certification about the website’s accessibility. The law applies to both state agencies and contractors:

    State entities, and any contractors working for them, are responsible for ensuring that their state entity’s public websites are accessible to the general public. State entities are to align with Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA Standards in addition to the requirements of Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d).California AB 434

  • New York state has a New York State Human Rights Law. New York City has the New York City Human Rights Law. Both these laws have been the subject of lawsuits brought by disabled people for lack of website and mobile app accessibility.
  • In 2022 the state of Maryland passed the Local School Systems – Equivalent Access Standards – Digital Tools (Equivalent and Nonvisual Access Accountability Act for K-12 Education). The official summay of this law, which is an accessible procurement law for K-12 schools in Maryland, states:

    Requiring a local school system to provide equivalent access to digital tools for students with disabilities, including the development, purchase, and provision of certain digital tools that are directly connected to student instruction; requiring a local school system to establish a process to evaluate a digital tool prior to purchase for nonvisual access by a certain employee or contractor of the school system; providing certain civil penalties for a vendor who fails to meet the equivalent access standards; etc.Maryland accessible K-12 procurement law

    Read an article about this K-12 accessible procurement law, one of the first in the United States I am aware of.

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East Asia

Hong Kong

Updated on April 14, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Hong Kong: Neil Milliken, Alexandra Norhnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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Japan

Updated on April 13, 2023

  • Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) 8341-3 is now identical to ISO/IEC 40500:2012 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0). The current version is JIS X 8341-3:2016 (Japanese). JIS X 8341-3:2016 has exactly the same success criteria as WCAG 2.0.
  • WAIC (Web Accessibility Infrastructure Committee in Japan) was in charge of the update of JIS X 8341-3. Makoto Ueki was chairman of WAIC and of the JIS update working group. JIS standards can be updated every five years. However JIS X 8341-3 cannot be updated until ISO/IEC 40500 is updated.
  • The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has encouraged public sectors websites to conform to Level AA of JIS X 8341-3:2016, which is equal to Level AA of WCAG 2.0, by the end of March 2018. Public sectors include ministries, local governments and independent administrative agencies.
  • Japan has the “Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities” which came into force in April 1, 2016. The basic policy of the law was endorsed by the Japanese Cabinet in February, 2015. The policy refers to “information accessibility” and the term includes web content. The basic policy of the law strongly encourages organizations to make their information (including web content) accessible. Read a news article in English about Japan’s 2016 Disability Discrimination Act.
  • In May 2021, the “Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities” was revised, making it a legal obligation for private businesses as well as public institutions to provide reasonable accommodations only if people with disabilities request improvements to their products and services including their websites and mobile apps.
  • In May 2022, the “Law on the Promotion of Information Accessibility and Communication for Persons with Disabilities” was enacted. It is essential that information and communication be accessible to all persons with disabilities in order for them to participate in activities in all areas. This law establishes basic principles for this purpose, but more specific measures, obligations, etc. are still awaiting consideration.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Japan: Makoto Ueki

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Europe

*European Union

Updated on April 15, 2023

[Note: this topic is for the European Union itself. Many of the countries within the European Union are listed in alphabetical order in the Europe region on this page. (Some European countries listed are not in the European Union.)]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on *European Union: European Disability Forum (EDF), Alejandro Moledo del Río, Deputy Director EDF

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Austria

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Austria: Neil Milliken , Alexandra Nothnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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Belgium

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Belgium: Neil Milliken, Alexandra Nothnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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Denmark

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

  • Act on accessibility requirements for products and services (2022), the Danish law implementing the European Accessibility Act.
  • Web Accessibility in Denmark, information from the Danish Agency for Digital Government about the 2018 Web Accessibility Act. This Act implemented the European Union (EU) Web Accessibility Directive on public sector websites and mobile applications into Danish law.

    Although this law requires compliance with accessibility standards, no fines have been issued for non-compliance as of March 2023.

  • Information about monitoring and supervision by the Danish government to ensure compliance with the Danish Web Accessibility Act. Simplified monitoring uses automated tools to test websites and mobile apps for compliance against 18 WCAG 2.1 criteria, while in-depth monitoring uses both automated and manual testing to evaluate based on the EN 301 549 chapter 10.
  • The Danish Agency for Digital Government has a Web Accessibility Statement Tool that public sector bodies are required to use to comply with the law.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Denmark: Inka Ilona Taagehøj, Tobias Christian Jensen

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Finland

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries. ]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Finland: Jere Havo, Juho Vepsäläinen, Neil Milliken, Alexandra Nothnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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France

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Article 47 in Law n°2005-102 for equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of disabled people – Last modification: March 11, 2023

Article 47 is divided into 4 major points:

  1. The online public communication services of a large number of organizations (in particular public organizations, organizations delegated with a public service mission, private organizations with revenues exceeding 250 million euros) must be accessible to disabled people.From 2025 or 2030, more organizations will be concerned (a priori, private companies with revenues exceeding 2 million euros and employing more than 10 people – a decree will specify this).
  2. The accessibility obligation applies to all type of digital media.
  3. Obligation to publish an accessibility statement, to draw up a multi-year plan (3 years maximum) for making services accessible and an action plan for the current year.
  4. Obligation to display the level of compliance with accessibility rules on the home page, to provide easy access to the documents mentioned in the previous point, and to make it possible to report accessibility problems. Failure to comply with this obligation and failure to bring a service into compliance is punishable up to €20,000 per site and per year (amount fixed in the decree 2019-768).

The law contains exceptions (such as the disproportionate cost for certain contents and functionalities) that the decree n°2019-768 defines.

Article L5213-6 in the Labor Code, sub-section 1: Rights and guarantees for disabled workers – Last modification: August 8, 2019

Germany

Updated on January 28, 2024

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Greece

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries. ]

  • Law 4591/2019 (PDF in Greek). This law incorporates into Greek law the European Union 2016 and 2017 web and mobile accessibility directives.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Greece: Neil Milliken , Alexandra Nortnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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Holland

Updated on April 14, 2023

Iceland

Updated on March 28, 2023

  • On October 5th, 2012, the Icelandic government officially declared that it intended to enact legislation requiring public sector websites to be WCAG 2.0 AA compliant by January 1, 2015. The details of the legislation were worked on, and the over-all state of accessibility in Iceland was assessed in the Fall of 2013 as part of the government plans for the Icelandic Information Society 2013 – 2016. However, while there is a policy, as of 2023, this legislation has yet to be enacted.
  • Read the 2012 Icelandic announcement regarding the policy and legislation, “The government has approved a new policy to ensure accessibility for the blind, visually impaired, etc. etc. to public websites.
  • Iceland is not a member of the European Union (EU). The EU Directives and regulations do not apply to Iceland unless voluntarily ratified, something the government has not seriously considered.
  • Thanks to the following contributors for information on Iceland: Birkir Gunnarsson

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Ireland

Updated on February 3, 2024

[Note: Ireland is part of the European Union (EU). Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom (UK). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Italy

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries. ]

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Latvia

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

  • Law on the Procurements of Public Service Providers. On the issue of technical standards for procuring accessible technology for disabled people this law provides as follows:

    For procurements the results of which are intended for use by natural persons (including the staff of the public service provider), the technical specifications shall be prepared so as to ensure accessibility of the procurement results for persons with disability or to take into account the principles of universal design, except for when the public service provider has a duly justification for the non-inclusion of such requirements in the technical specifications. If the directly applicable legal acts of the European Union confirm the mandatory access requirements, the technical specifications shall contain a reference to such standards, insofar as they determine the requirements in relation to ensuring access for persons with disability or the principles of universal design.Latvia public procurement law, section 23(9)

  • Electronic Communications Act (2022) (Latvian) and an article about this transposition of the EU Electronic Communications Act.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Latvia: Neil Milliken, Alexandra Nothnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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Luxembourg

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Luxembourg: Digital Accessibility Luxembourg, managed by the Information and Press Service of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

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Norway

Updated on April 11, 2023

The country of Norway borders, but is not part of, the European Union. Because of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement and because Norway is part of the European Free Trade Association however, a lot of EU legislation is transposed into their laws.

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Norway: Bogdan Cerovac, Ronny Hendriks

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Republic of Slovenia

Updated on February 29, 2024

[Note: the Republic of Slovenia is part of the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

Slovenia adopted the European Accessibility Act in January, 2023 in the Law on Accessibility to Products and Services for People with Disabilities.

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Republic of Slovenia: Beatriz González Mellídez

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Spain

Updated on April 14, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

.

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Spain: Neil Milliken

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Switzerland

Updated on April 13, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Switzerland: Julie Moynat, Neil Milliken, Alexandra Norhnagel, Beatriz Gonzalez, Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde, Antonio Vieira Santos

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The Netherlands

Updated on April 13, 2023

[Note: This country is in the European Union (EU). Visit the European Union section of this Global Digital Accessibility Laws Page for more information about the European Accessibility Act and other digital accessibility Directives impacting EU countries.]

  • The Dutch government’s digital accessibility portal with links, resources, and a tool to evaluate accessibility
  • The 2023 status of accessibility in the Netherlands conforms to the Web Accessibility Directive and is transposed into national law with a Temporary Act for digital accessibility (Tijdelijk Besluit Digitale Toegankelijkheid)
  • Dutch Public Sector Bodies need to publish an accessibility statement on their websites. It is not mandatory, but they are urged to also publish their statement into the national register website. Depending on their status of accessibility a site is given an A-E rating
    1. Fully compliant (statement + audit report with no issues found)
    2. Partially accessible (Statement + audit report but contains findings to resolve)
    3. Statement and first audit scheduled in the next 6 months
    4. Statement but no audit and nothing planned
    5. No statement
  • The monitoring currently sits with the “DigiToegankelijk” team, which sits under the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. In March 2023 this government division released an accessibility dashboard that is meant to give more insight in the information from the registry. Currently there are almost 4300 websites in the register and a reportedly 3000 of those a legally compliant, meaning they have a statement and an audit report or an audit planned. 371 of them have an A status and should fully meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
  • Monitoring currently happens at the statement level, meaning that the information required for the statement is checked but not the accessibility of the website itself. Additionally, since only the statement is monitored, any changes to websites that may break accessibility may not be reflected in the ratings.
  • Thanks to the following contributors for information on The Netherlands: Ronny Hendriks

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United Kingdom

Updated on February 3, 2024

The United Kingdom consists of the countries England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Ireland is part of the European Union.)

Thanks to the following contributors for information on United Kingdom: David Sloan

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Latin America

Argentina

Updated on March 19, 2023

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Brazil

Updated on March 11, 2023

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Chile

Updated on March 18, 2023

  • Law 20.422, establishing “standards on equal opportunities and social inclusion of people with disabilities” This law entered into force on February 10, 2010 and created the “National Disability Service” known as (SENADIS, (Servicio Nacional de la Discapacidad), which is in charge of ensuring that the law is complied with. In 2015 SENADIS created Decree No. 1, which approves the technical standard on systems and websites of state administration agencies.
  • Technical Guide for the Implementation of Accessible Websites (pdf/Spanish 2016). This guide was created by SENADIS to support equity and access to information.
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Chile: Meddy Veloso

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Colombia

Updated on April 5, 2023

Ecuador

Updated on April 13, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Ecuador: Meddy Veloso

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Mexico

Updated on November 9, 2023

  • Accessibility Law for Mexico City (2017 Spanish PDF), referencing accessibility to information, communications, and technologies.
  • General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (Spanish PDF, 2011 and updated January 2023), defining accessibility as

    The pertinent measures to ensure access for persons with disabilities, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, including information and communication systems and technologies, and other services and facilities open to the public or for public use, both in urban and rural areasMexican General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities

  • Mexican Standard NMX-R-099-SCFI-2018 Accessibility Requirements Suitable For Public Procurement Of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Products and Services in Mexico. (2018, Spanish PDF)
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Mexico: Meddy Veloso

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Peru

Updated on April 11, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on Peru: Meddy Veloso

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Uruguay

Updated on April 11, 2023

  • Decree 406/022, (December 2022, published January 2023) to

    Promote the development of the Information Society in Uruguay, with emphasis on the inclusion of the digital practice of its inhabitants and the strengthening of society’s skills in the use of technologies. Uruguay Decree 406/022

  • Article I of the Decree defines accessibility as:

    Se entenderá por accesibilidad digital, la posibilidad de que toda la información y contenidos disponibles a través de soluciones tecnológicas, independiente a su canal de implementación, ya sea tecnología web o móvil, en internet, intranets y/o cualquier tipo de redes informáticas, se hagan disponibles y utilizables por el usuario, mediante el uso de equipamiento adecuado, independientemente de su contexto y condiciones personales, contemplando especialmente a las personas con discapacidad.Uruguay Decree 406/022 Article 1

    Google machine translation to English: Digital accessibility will be understood as the possibility that all information and content available through technological solutions, regardless of their implementation channel, be it web or mobile technology, on the Internet, intranets and/or any type of computer network, is make them available and usable by the user, through the use of suitable equipment, regardless of their context and personal conditions, especially contemplating people with disabilities.Uruguay Decree 406/022 Article 1

  • The Decree references “technical accessibility requirements” in Article 5 and does a deep dive into the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. The Technical requirements section of the Decree begins with:

    La accesibilidad digital es el resultado de diseñar y desarrollar servicios y productos digitales para que el mayor número de personas puedan usarlos, independientemente de sus condiciones personales y de su entorno.Uruguay Decree 406/022 Article 5

    Google Machine Translation to English: Digital accessibility is the result of designing and developing digital services and products so that the greatest number of people can use them, regardless of their personal conditions and their environment.Uruguay Decree 406/022 Article 5

  • Thanks to the following contributors for information on Uruguay: Meddy Veloso

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Middle East

Israel

Updated on April 10, 2023

  • The Israeli accessibility regulations were amended in 2017 to require all websites and apps to be accessible; new ones have to be accessible by design. Both private and public entities providing services online are required to apply Internet Accessibility Standard (Israel Standard 5668 Part 1 – web accessibility, which has adopted W3C AI WCAG 2.0 at AA level. All digital documents uploaded after Oct 2017 must be accessible by the Israel Standard 5668 Part 2 – document accessibility. Documents, such as bank client’s statements that are generated in interior areas in websites– is to be made accessibly by 2022. Accessible websites and apps are required to include a sign that the web site is accessible, an accessibility statement, information on all accessibility services and contact information on accessibility director.
  • Captions are required for time-based media (Level A) uploaded after 2017. However, only public authorities and large-scale private businesses have to provide them. In addition, lectures, conferences and similar events presented online, may offer a text document as alternative to online accommodations.However, since the beginning of the Pandemic, many online conferences, webinars, and other events routinely provide at least live captions. Services provided or promoted through social media are required to use the accessibility features offered by the platforms. Websites which host third-party content have to provide accessibility options, such as alt text descriptions for images.
  • Small businesses may be granted an exemption, limited to 3 years. Exemptions may also be granted to any service, if the accommodations are technically impossible. The regulations are enforced both administratively, by the Commission on Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities – a government agency – and through civil legal proceedings.
  • Israeli Equal Rights Commission for Persons with Disabilities pages on web accessibility (Hebrew)
  • Regulations on Access to Public Services
Thanks to the following contributors for information on Israel: Zvia Admon, Access Israel

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South Asia

India

Updated on April 13, 2023

Thanks to the following contributors for information on India: Mission Accessibility, Rahul Bajaj, Kartik Sawhney, Shashank Pandey, Srinidhi Raghavan, Priti Salian, Chandrika Bothra, Tanishk Goyal

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