Q21 of 24 · Accessibility

What legal and regulatory obligations govern web accessibility and how do they affect a test programme?

AccessibilitySenioraccessibilityadasection-508en-301-549eaalegalcompliancewcag

Short answer

Short answer: In the US, the ADA applies to public accommodations (courts have ruled this includes websites); Section 508 mandates WCAG 2.0 AA for federal agencies. In the EU, EN 301 549 requires WCAG 2.1 AA for public sector bodies; the European Accessibility Act extends this to private sector products from June 2025. These obligations require documented evidence of conformance — a test programme must produce it.

Detail

United States:

  • Section 508 (Rehabilitation Act): requires federal agencies and their contractors to ensure electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. The 2017 refresh mandated WCAG 2.0 AA conformance.
  • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Title III prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation. US courts and the DOJ have increasingly applied this to commercial websites — several high-profile settlements (Domino's, Netflix) have established that inaccessible websites can constitute ADA violations. There is no explicit WCAG reference in the ADA; courts have applied WCAG 2.1 AA as the standard in consent decrees.

European Union:

  • EN 301 549: the EU accessibility standard for ICT products and services, which references WCAG 2.1 AA. Applies to public sector bodies via the Web Accessibility Directive (implemented by member states from 2018).
  • European Accessibility Act (EAA): extends accessibility requirements to private sector products and services (e-commerce, banking, transport, telecommunications) with a compliance deadline of June 2025. This has significantly raised the stakes for commercial web products serving EU users.

Test programme implications:

  • You need a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or equivalent conformance statement documenting which criteria are met, partially met, or not supported.
  • Test results must be traceable to specific WCAG success criteria.
  • Remediation timelines matter — a documented bug with a fix date is better evidence of good faith than no documentation at all.
  • For regulated industries (financial services, healthcare), accessibility may be tied to additional sector-specific rules.

// WHAT INTERVIEWERS LOOK FOR

Names the relevant frameworks (ADA, Section 508, EN 301 549, EAA) without overstating. Understands that legal obligations create a documentation requirement — not just a technical one.