This is an outdated document for histrorical purposes only. The current document is at http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/
Policies Relating to Web Accessibility
Abstract
The policy links on this page are compiled as a resource by the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG). This page is not a comprehensive or definitive resource for all applicable laws and policies regarding Web accessibility. The information contained on this page is not legal advice. If you have questions about the applicability of the referenced laws to specific situations, please consult legal authorities in the appropriate jurisdiction.
Status
This page is under continual development. Should you be aware of additional legislation or policies beyond those listed here, corrections needed, or developments related to legislation listed here, please contact wai-eo-editors@w3.org.
Contents
- Introduction
- Australia
- Canada
- Denmark
- European Union
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
Introduction
The Web's emergence as a pivotal form of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) raises interesting questions about application of existing laws and policies to this new medium, and the importance of all members of society, including people with disabilities, being able to access this information medium.
There is a growing body of national laws and policies which address accessibility of ICT, including the Internet and the Web. There is also great variety of approaches among these laws and policies: some take the approach of establishing a human or civil right to ICT; others the approach that any ICT purchased by government must be accessible; others that any ICT sold in a given market must be accessible; and there are still other approaches.
The links on this page provide a starting point for locating information on government policies relating to Web accessibility in different countries around the world. Information linked from this page may include laws, regulations, policies, directives, government-related standards or guidelines, or implementation guidance which relates to Web accessibility, as well as government speeches, press releases, etc. Links are roughly grouped under the following categories: laws, responsible ministries, relevant documents, discussion, and additional information or comments. Since legal practices, and terminology regarding legal practices, vary from country to country, categorization of information on this page is approximate, not definitive.
Absence of links to policies in a given country does not indicate that that country does not have, or is not in the process of establishing, policies regarding Web accessibility. If you are aware of information which should be included on this page, please notify us as explained in the status section above.
A separate document, Developing Organizational Policies on Web Accessibility, addresses issues which frequently arise when establishing policies on Web accessibility. These include, for instance, simple and comprehensive sample policy statements; conformance levels for Web sites as well as Web related software; defining the scope, milestones, and monitoring processes for Web accessibility, and more.
Australia
- Legislation: Disability Discrimination Act 1992
- Responsible Ministry:
- Attorney General; Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
- Federal Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Accessibility: Online Access for People with Disabilities
- Relevant documents:
- Government Online, Online Standards, Accessibility Requirements
- Guidelines for Commonwealth Information Published in Electronic Formats including "Equal Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Notes"
- Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's investigation:
- Access to electronic commerce and new services and information technologies for older Australians and people with a disability including
- World Wide Web page accessibility audit
- Final Report: Accessibility of electronic commerce and new service information technologies for older Australians and people with a disability and accompanying media release for the HREOC report
- Discussion: Disability Standards and Guidelines related to the DDA [link moved]
- Additional information or comments:
- "Accessible E-Commerce in Australia: A discussion paper about the effects of electronic commerce developments on people with disabilities" by Tim Noonan, for Blind Citizens Australia
- Decision of HREOC in SOCOG case
Canada
- Legislation: Canadian Human Rights Act of 1977 (Office Consolidation available)
- Responsible Ministry: Attorney General; Canadian Human Rights Commission; Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
- Relevant documents:
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- Upcoming developments: Government of Canada and Web Accessibility
Denmark
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Research and Information Technology, [Danish] Ministeriet for Videnskab Teknologi og Udvikling
- Relevant documents:
- [2002] Disability, No Problem, [Danish] Handicap ingen hindring (Action plan for use of information technologies and telecommunication by people with disabilities)
- [1997] Action for Change: IT Policy Plan
- [1996] Freedom to Choose: Action Plan for IT Use by People with Disabilities
- Internet Publications: Standards for Electronic Publishing, [Danish] Netpublikationer - Statens standard for elektronisk publicering [currently unavailable, was at http://www.fsk.dk/fsk/publ/online-pub/ ]
- [1998] Report from a working group on accessibility and graphical user interfaces, [Danish] Rapport fra Arbejdsgruppen om tilgængelighed og grafiske brugergrænseflader
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- [1998] The Accessibility of Governmental Homepages, by the Equal Opportunities Center for Disabled Persons, [Danish] Offentlige hjemmesiders tilgængelighed
European Union
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry:
- European Commission, Information Society
- Relevant documents:
- European Commission: index of accessibility documents
- European Union, Council of the European Union: Accessibility of Public Websites -- Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Council Resolution [2002]
- European Union, Economic and Social Committee: Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee [2002]
- European Union, Committee of Regions: Opinion of the Committee of Regions [2002]
- European Parliament: eEurope 2002, Accessibility of Public Websites and their Content [2002]
- European Commission: eEurope 2002, Accessibility of Public Websites and their Content [2001]
- eEurope 2000-2001, An Information Society for All, Participation for all in the knowledge-based economy [2001]
- Text of HEART Study Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology (original URI unavailable: http://www.hi.se/fou/forelasning/gunnar.htm) [1993]
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- EC: Speech from Commissioner Erkki Liikanen on "Making Websites Accessible to People with Disabilities"
- Draft petition for accessibility of the Internet in the European Union (original document no longer available; was at http://www.acessibilidade.net/eeurope/) [1999]
- Request for feedback on draft petition [1999] by Francisco Godinho of PASIG
Finland
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry:
- Ministry of the Interior [Finnish] Sisäasiainministeriö
- Committee: JUHTA: Advisory Committee on Information Management in Public Administration [Finnish] Julkisen hallinnon tietohallinnon neuvottelukunta
- Relevant documents:
- Instructions for the design of a Web site in public administration [Finnish] Julkishallinnon WWW-sivuston suunnittelun ohjeet
- Discussion:
- Additional information or comments:
France
- Legislation: -
- Jurisdiction:
- Relevant documents:
- Government circular of 7 October 1999 concerning internet sites by state public establishments and services. (Circulaire du 7 octobre 1999 relative aux sites internet des services et des établissements publics de l'Etat)
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- Translation of extract from government circular: "People responsible for web site will particularly pay attention to provide access to information to all Internet users, notably people with disabilities, blind users, visually impaired or hearing impaired. They will find on the MTIC site (http://www.mtic.pm.gouv.fr/standards/accessibilite/) a document on this topic. They can also refer to the level 1 recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium devoted to accessibility of Web Content which are available at the same address.
Germany
- Legislation:
- [in German] [file is PDF] Barrierefreie Informationstechnik Verordnung (BITV)
- Responsible Ministry: -
- Relevant documents:
- Discussion:
- Additional information or comments:
Ireland
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry: Department of the Taioseach and Government Information Services
- Relevant documents: Recommended Guidelines for Public Sector Organizations
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
Italy
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry:
- Relevant Documents: Directive of the Government of Italy regarding Web Accessibility (in Italian)
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
Japan
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry:
- Relevant documents:
- Press release mentioning Web accessibility from Ministry of Post and Telecommunications
- Press release: Toward Diffusion of Websites with Excellent Accessibility Verification experiments for the diffusion of websites with excellent accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities
- Discussion:
- The Role of Universal Design: Closing the Gap of Digital Divide in Japan (file in PDF)
- Additional information or comments:
New Zealand
- Legislation: -
- Responsible Ministry:
- Relevant documents:
- Government Web Guidelines (section 4.5 on Accessibility)
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
Portugal
- Legislation: Council of Ministers Resolution 97/99 on Accessibility of Government Web Sites
- Responsible Ministry: -
- Relevant Documents:
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- Links to policy documents at Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology [in Portuguese]
- Discussion of amendments to Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations law. Discusses redundant input devices. [in Portuguese]
- Member State of the European Union.
United Kingdom
- Legislation: Disability Discrimination Act of 1995
- Jurisdiction:
- Department of Education and Employment, Ministry of Equal Opportunities
- Disability Rights Commission
- Office of the e-Envoy
- Relevant Documents:
- Discussion:
- DISinHE's (Disability Information Systems in Higher Education) Disability Legislation page
- DISinHE's questions/answers on Disability Discrimination Act
- DISinHE's Implications for Higher Education Institutions
- DISinHE's Disability Legislation and Implications for Higher Education
- JISC Senior Management Briefing Paper 15, Disability, Technology and Legislation: New Pressures and New Opportunities for Further and Higher Education Institutions and Staff
- Additional information or comments:
- Cabinet Office Press Release on Net Gain for Britain's Public Services
United States of America
(USA) Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act
- Legislation: Telecommunications Act of 1996
- Responsible Ministry: Federal Communications Commission; Access Board
- Relevant Documents:
- Access Board's Final Rule on Section 255: Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
- Report of the TAAC (Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee)
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- Access Board's Section 255 FAQ
- FCC's Section 255 Information
(USA) Rehabilitation Act, Section 504
- Legislation: Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 (1973)
- Responsible Ministry: Department of Justice; Department of Education
- Relevant Documents: US Department of Education's Requirements for Accessible Software Design
- Discussion: -
- Additional information or comments:
- Section 504 establishes principle of programmatic access to federally-funded programs. Does not directly address the internet, Web, or information technology, but lays foundation for accessibility to the services ("programs") of federally-funded programs.
(USA) Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, Section 508
- Legislation: Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 (1986, amended 1992, amended 1998)
- Jurisdiction: Department of Justice; Access Board; General Services Administration
- Relevant Documents:
- General Services Adminstration's Section 508 site on FirstGov
- Section 508 Final Rule
- Section 508 Proposed Rule: Overview to NPRM and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking text
- EITAAC Final Report (Report delivered to the Access Board by the Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee).
- Section 508 Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Section 508 Questions and Answers by the Access Board
- Department of Justice Section 508 Home Page (includes self-evaluation information for US federal agencies, and US Attorney General's memorandum to all federal agencies on Section 508)
- US Department of Education's Requirements for Accessible Software Design
- Discussion:
- Additional information or comments:
- Section 508 establishes requirement that federal government, and by extension through the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, state government also, procure information technology that is accessible.
- The US Access Board convened the EITAAC (Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee) to provide recommendations for federal standards for electronic and information technology.
- The Trace Research & Development Center maintained a working space for EITAAC, with publicly viewable archives for EITAAC discussion.
- WAI comments on Section 508 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- Attorney General's speech on Section 508
- Accessibility Forum
(USA) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Legislation: Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
- Responsible Ministry: US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
- Relevant Documents:
- Hooks vs. OKBridge, No. 99-50891, Brief of the United States as Amicus Curiae in Support of Appellant. Addresses issues including "Whether a company that offers services solely on the internet is subject to the public accommodations provision of Title III of the ADA."
- Opinion issued by the US DOJ in September, 1996 discussing the applicability of ADA Titles II and III to accessibility of the Web. This DOJ opinion resulted from a query by Senator Tom Harkin on behalf of a constituent. [NOTE: This may not be a stable URL. If you have difficulty retrieving the appropriate file from the previous link, go to the DOJ Freedom of Information Act index and search for a September 1996 letter concerning Senator Harkin and the Web.]
- Discussion: Applying the ADA to the Internet: A Web Accessibility Standard
- Additional information or comments:
- Hearing on applicability of ADA to the Internet and Web
- DOJ ADA Home Page
- Is Your Site ADA-Compliant -- or a Lawsuit-In-Waiting?
- The Growing Digital Divide in Access for People with Disabilities: Overcoming Barriers to Participation
- "University Settles Suit, Pledges to Improve Access at Campus," from the San Francisco Examiner
Other Countries?
If you are aware of other national legislation or policies relating to Web Accessibility, please send any available URI's to <wai-eo-editors@w3.org>.
Last revised: 24 April 2003 by Shawn Henry
Editors: Shawn Henry, Alan Chuter, Judy Brewer
Contributors: Participants of the Education and Outreach Working GroupComments welcome at <wai-eo-editors@w3.org>.