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Compliance types and requirements

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities against discrimination.

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The Principles
of Web Compliance

What Does it Mean to be Web Compliant?

Web accessibility compliance is about developing websites that everybody can access, including people with disabilities. Accessibility should be an ethical obligation for all of us and UserWay is best positioned to provide clarification and relevant guidance.

What Standards Apply?

There are numerous standards for web accessibility compliance spanning a wide range of country-specific requirements. However, they all have one thing in common - inclusivity for all users. While we list the most relevant standards at the top of this page, we need to begin by addressing with why compliance is an essential policy for any company.

The Four Principles of Accessibility

The regulatory environment for digital accessibility is full of intertwined and sometimes ambiguous laws. But it comes down to the widely accepted and basic principles of POUR, an acronym that stands for: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

Perceivable

Your content must be visible and comprehensible

Operable

Your UI must be operable and disruption-free

Understandable

Your text and images must be legible to all users

Robust

Your content must support assistive technologies

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11 Digital Accessibility Standards
You Should Know

Below are important standards that every company should know including links to more details.

How ADA Compliance Impacts Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities against discrimination. Disability is broadly defined—it covers both mental and physical disabilities, regardless of whether they’re temporary or permanent. The ADA addresses many areas of daily life, including employment, state and local government, public transportation and utilities, places of public accommodation (business open to the public), and telecommunications.

EN 301 549

EN 301 549, the EU standard for digital accessibility, requires that all public-sector Information and Communication Technology (ICT) be fully accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG 2.1 standards are incorporated into EN 301 549 to ensure web content, electronic documents, and non-web software (e.g., native mobile applications) are accessible to those who rely on assistive technologies.

GDPR Regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), adopted in 2016, is a crucial component of EU privacy and human rights law. It gives citizens the right to control their personal data within the EU and data transmitted to other regions. The GDPR is about empowering people’s rights concerning their personal info and simplifying the regulatory environment for international business.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a U.S. federal law protecting an individual's medical information from being disclosed without their consent. It allows patients to understand and control how their information is used. Healthcare providers and plans are required to follow HIPAA’s Security Rule regarding the flow and transmission of patient information.

COPPA

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) is a U.S. federal law that applies to owners or operators of websites and online services geared toward children under the age of 13. It also applies to those that knowingly collect personal information from this specific age group. In addition, it covers privacy policy requirements, seeking verifiable parental/guardian consent, and marketing restrictions concerning those 13 and under.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), passed in 1974, is a U.S. federal law that oversees who can access people’s educational information and related records. It helps give current and former students the right to privacy regarding their academic information. As such, institutions might need previous consent to disclose certain data concerning people’s educational history or records to interested parties like potential employers and academic institutions.

WCAG 2.1 Compliance: A Guide to Best Conformance

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is the main international organization on Internet standards. It is the go-to guide for properly coding accessible websites for people with disabilities. Its comprehensive information helps website owners, designers, and developers produce websites, digital content, and markup that works with assistive technologies. WCAG is divided into three levels (A, AA, AAA), each representing a higher standard of accessibility.

Section 5O8

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandates U.S. federal agencies purchase, develop, sustain, and deliver accessible information and communications technology (ICT) to their members and members of the public with barrier-free access to information and participation in related activities. It also requires companies—including vendors and contractors interested in or currently doing business with the federal government—to comply with Section 508, which at its highest level, follows WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

AODA

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requires businesses to prevent and remove barriers for individuals with disabilities for all public-facing organizations by 2025. Moreover, the AODA established the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR), which requires businesses with 50 or more employees and educational entities to make their websites, apps, and digital services accessible per WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

ATAG

The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is the primary international organization on Internet standards. In addition, it helps ensure more people can read web content and that a broader range of authors can use authoring tools. Furthermore, it provides accessibility standards to develop content-authoring solutions that are more accessible to people with disabilities. It also encourages authors who use these tools to produce accessible online content.

CVAA

The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) is a U.S. federal accessibility law that ensures all telecommunications innovations are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. It modernizes federal communications law to increase access to modern communications for everyone. In addition, it ensures that previously enacted accessibility standards evolve to support the latest technologies (e.g., digital, broadband, and mobile).

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UserWay's full range of AI assistive tech tools helps make the Internet more accessible for everyone, including people with disabilities, the largest global minority group.
Our tools help you conform to you to comply with universal standards - a must for any company today.

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