Web Accessibility Policy and Law

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of law and policy concepts related to web accessibility. Laws and policies can include a broad range of methods and documents, including national, regional, and provincial statutes, national and more local regulation, case law, policy, enforcement action, as well as treaties and human rights documents. The chapter continues by discussing the coverage of these laws and policies: what types of organizations, what types of disabilities, and what types of content are covered by the laws? Technical standards, user involvement, and transparency are also discussed. The concluding sections discuss future directions in web accessibility law and policy, what is currently needed, and some of the actions that we can individually take as members of the accessibility community.