Digital accessibility is a legal requirement in many regions. Organizations worldwide are expected to make their websites and applications usable for people with disabilities. This obligation is defined by a patchwork of standards and laws, all aiming to ensure that web content is perceivable, operable, and understandable for everyone. Businesses that ignore accessibility risk not only excluding a segment of users but also facing compliance penalties or lawsuits. In response, solutions like EqualWeb help organizations meet these global accessibility standards through a combination of technology and expert support.
Global Accessibility Standards and Laws
Several major standards and regulations set the benchmark for digital accessibility compliance around the world. Key examples include:
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
An internationally recognized set of guidelines (currently at version 2.1 and 2.2) that defines how to make web content more accessible. WCAG is the foundation for most accessibility laws and covers requirements like text alternatives for images, keyboard navigation, readable text, and more.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
A U.S. civil rights law that prohibits disability-based discrimination. While the ADA does not explicitly detail web standards, courts and regulators in the United States often reference WCAG success criteria as the measure of whether a website is ADA-compliant. In practice, an ADA-compliant website means a site that meets WCAG guidelines so that individuals with disabilities have equal access to online services.
Section 508 (Rehabilitation Act, U.S.)
A federal regulation that requires U.S. government websites and digital content (and those of certain federal funding recipients) to be accessible. Section 508 standards have been updated to closely align with WCAG as well. Compliance with Section 508 is mandatory for federal agencies and is often used as a model for accessibility in other organizations.
EN 301 549
A European Union standard for ICT accessibility. This standard is based on WCAG 2.1 and is used to assess and ensure the accessibility of websites, software, and electronic documents in the EU. EN 301 549 is the technical benchmark referenced by European accessibility policies, ensuring a common measure of digital accessibility across member states.
European Accessibility Act (EAA)
Broad EU legislation that will require many digital products and services (including websites and mobile apps in certain sectors) to be accessible across Europe. The EAA, slated to be enforced around 2025, uses standards like EN 301 549 to define what “accessible” means in practical terms. This means businesses operating in the EU must conform to WCAG-based requirements to meet the EAA.
AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)
A Canadian law (in the province of Ontario) that mandates accessibility for public websites of certain organizations. AODA requires compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA criteria for web content, with the goal of eliminating barriers for people with disabilities. Non-compliance can result in fines, making it a serious legal obligation for organizations in Ontario.
These standards and laws share a common goal: making digital content inclusive and functional for all users, regardless of ability. They often intersect — for example, compliance with WCAG guidelines will generally satisfy the technical requirements of ADA-related expectations, Section 508 rules, and similar laws in other regions. However, achieving and maintaining such compliance can be challenging without specialized knowledge or tools.
How EqualWeb Supports Compliance
EqualWeb is a web accessibility platform designed to help organizations conform to these global standards through a blend of automated tools and expert services. At its core, EqualWeb’s technology and services map directly to the requirements of WCAG and the various laws that reference those guidelines. By using EqualWeb, businesses can more easily align their websites with the criteria needed for legal accessibility compliance. Key aspects of EqualWeb’s approach include:
Automated Accessibility Widget
EqualWeb provides an AI-powered accessibility overlay that can be installed on a website. This tool automatically adds a user-facing interface allowing visitors to adjust the site to their needs (for example, changing text size, contrast, or pausing animations). Behind the scenes, the AI widget also attempts to remediate common accessibility issues in real time. For instance, it might detect missing alternative text on images and supply descriptions or enable keyboard-friendly navigation for menus and forms. By instantly addressing many minor barriers, the widget helps websites move closer to WCAG guidelines without requiring an immediate complete code overhaul. This kind of automation is especially useful for quickly improving compliance with standards like WCAG, EN 301 549, and others that emphasize technical accessibility features.
Accessibility Monitoring and Auditing
Meeting accessibility standards is not a one-time task. Websites change frequently, and new content can introduce new accessibility issues. EqualWeb offers a monitoring service that continuously scans and evaluates a site’s content for compliance with WCAG criteria. This automated scanner (sometimes referred to as a crawler or checker) reviews pages for issues like improper heading structure, insufficient color contrast, missing form labels, and other violations of guidelines. Regular reports and an accessibility score can alert organizations to any decline in compliance. For companies facing obligations under laws like the ADA or AODA, this ongoing monitoring is vital — it demonstrates due diligence in keeping the site accessible over time, thereby helping to mitigate the risk of falling out of compliance.
Manual Remediation and Expert Support
While AI and automation can fix many issues, not all accessibility problems can be solved without human intervention. EqualWeb pairs its automation with a team of accessibility experts who can perform in-depth audits and manual remediation of complex issues in the website’s code. These experts are familiar with the nuanced requirements of WCAG (including the most recent success criteria) and regional laws. They can fix sophisticated problems such as ensuring proper screen reader reading order, providing accurate captioning or transcripts for multimedia, and repairing PDF documents to meet accessibility standards. By combining automated and manual efforts, EqualWeb aims to achieve full compliance with regulations like Section 508 and the European Accessibility Act’s requirements, which often demand a high level of thoroughness. The platform can also produce an accessibility statement or certificate once a site reaches a compliant state, which organizations can display to affirm their commitment and compliance status. This documentation can be useful if the organization is audited under laws like the EAA or needs to respond to an accessibility inquiry.
Through this multi-faceted approach, EqualWeb functions as a one-stop solution to streamline compliance. Instead of tackling each WCAG guideline alone or interpreting each country’s law individually, organizations can rely on the platform to interpret and apply those requirements. The result is a website that not only meets technical standards but is also more usable for people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.
Mitigating Legal Risks Through Accessibility
Achieving compliance with accessibility standards is not just an ethical or customer experience decision — it’s also a way to manage legal risk. In the United States, lawsuits under the ADA targeting inaccessible websites have become increasingly common, with thousands of cases filed against companies of all sizes. Similar enforcement is rising globally: regulators in the EU can impose sanctions for non-compliance with directives like the European Accessibility Act, and provinces like Ontario conduct audits under AODA. By using EqualWeb to actively conform to guidelines like WCAG, organizations put themselves in a much safer position. An accessible website means there are far fewer grounds for a user or regulator to claim discrimination or non-compliance. If a legal challenge does arise, the organization can demonstrate that it has taken concrete steps (using a known compliance platform and following recognized standards) to meet its obligations.
EqualWeb’s combination of automated fixes and human-led audits offers a form of insurance against these legal troubles. The continuous monitoring and maintenance help catch accessibility problems before they become liabilities. Moreover, having an accessibility partner and a documented compliance process can show good faith effort — which is valuable when negotiating with regulators or in court proceedings. While no solution can guarantee the avoidance of all legal action, addressing accessibility proactively greatly reduces the likelihood of violations. In essence, EqualWeb empowers organizations to fulfill the requirements of global accessibility laws in a practical way, protecting both the rights of users with disabilities and the organization’s own legal and financial interests.
Conclusion
Web accessibility has clearly moved into the mainstream of legal compliance. Whether it’s complying with the ADA in the U.S., meeting the EU’s harmonized standards, or observing Canadian regulations, organizations must ensure their digital content is accessible to all. EqualWeb’s role in this landscape is to simplify and support that effort. By aligning websites with the key principles of WCAG and related laws, the platform helps bridge the gap between technical accessibility guidelines and real-world implementation. The result is a more inclusive online experience for users and a reduced compliance burden for businesses. In a neutral, fact-based sense, EqualWeb exemplifies how technology and expertise can come together to help organizations meet global accessibility standards and uphold their legal responsibilities.