Accessibility standards explained
Clear, plain-English guides to every major accessibility law and standard. Understand what each one requires, what an automated scan honestly covers, and which reference applies to your market — before a lawyer or regulator does it for you.
Global · October 2023
WCAG 2.2 AA
The W3C’s baseline for digital accessibility. Every other legal standard maps to WCAG.
W3C recommendationAuto coverage~35 %France · September 2022
RGAA 4.1.2
France’s national methodology — 106 criteria, often stricter than WCAG.
State referenceAuto coverage~30 %European Union · v3.2.1 — 2021
EN 301 549
European harmonised norm; reference for EU public procurement contracts.
Harmonised normAuto coverage~35 %European Union · 28 Jun 2025
European Accessibility Act
Directive (EU) 2019/882. In force since 28 Jun 2025 across all 27 EU member states.
Enforceable lawAuto coverage~35 %US (federal) · 2018 revision
Section 508
Mandatory for any digital service procured by US federal agencies.
Enforceable lawAuto coverage~35 %United States · 1990 (DOJ 2024)
ADA Title III
No required technical standard; DOJ explicitly recommends WCAG 2.1 AA. 3,117 federal web suits filed in 2025.
Enforceable lawAuto coverage~35 %Deutschland · May 2019
BITV 2.0
Germany’s implementation of the EU Web Accessibility Directive, derived via EN 301 549 / WCAG mapping.
Federal decreeAuto coverage~35 %Italy · 2004 (rev. 2022)
Stanca / AGID
Italy’s ICT accessibility law for public sector bodies, derived via EN 301 549 / WCAG mapping.
Enforceable lawAuto coverage~35 %France · Preview 2026
RGAA 5 (Preview)
Next-generation French reference (preview). Based on WCAG 2.2 with 120+ criteria expected. Not yet scannable.
Not yet scannablePreviewGlobal · Draft 2025
WCAG 3.0 (Draft)
W3C Working Draft. Not yet ratified, no legal references. Not yet scannable.
Not yet scannableWorking Draft