Accessibility Standards, Laws, Regulations, and Policies
What this domain tests
Domain 4 tests the standards landscape: WCAG, EN 301 549, Section 508, ADA, the European Accessibility Act, and the UN CRPD, plus which level applies where.
Core rules
- WCAG 2.1/2.2: A, AA, AAA. AA is the usual policy and procurement benchmark. Success criteria are testable and apply to web content, apps, documents, and some software.
- Section 508 (US federal agencies and their procured ICT) incorporates WCAG 2.0 AA by reference in the revised standards; many agencies now ask for 2.1 AA.
- ADA (US): Title I employment, II state/local government, III public accommodations, IV telecommunications relay. The ADA does not name the web, but DOJ interprets Titles II and III to cover web services.
- Section 504 prohibits disability discrimination in federally funded programs.
- EN 301 549: European harmonized standard for ICT procurement, referencing WCAG.
- European Accessibility Act: EU directive covering many products and services, with member-state enforcement from 28 June 2025.
- UN CRPD: human-rights treaty; Article 9 covers accessibility.
- VPAT/ACR is a self-disclosure, not a certification.
Worked example
A US state university procures a learning platform. Reasoning: as a public entity it has Title II ADA obligations and likely Section 504; it should require WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, an up-to-date ACR, and manual keyboard and screen-reader testing. A vendor’s “ADA compliant” badge is not evidence; the ACR and test results are.
Traps
Citing AAA as the legal target; treating ADA as a technical standard; assuming one law applies globally; accepting a VPAT without verifying claims; confusing EN 301 549 with WCAG (it references WCAG but adds requirements).