Accessibility Standards

What are Accessibility Standards?

Accessibility standards are a set of legal requirements put in place by a government or centralized body to help remove barriers to learning and understanding for people affected by a disability.

Standards for accessibility vary from country to country. For IROs in the United States requirements for digital accessibility include:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that digital services, including web content, must be accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies and contractors to provide accessible digital content to people with disabilities.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA) set global standards for accessibility, focusing on features such as closed captioning, screen reader compatibility, and alternative text for images.

What is a Disability?

The ADA defines a disability as:
A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.