Website accessibility law in 2026: what businesses in the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia need to know

Accessibility means people can use your website whatever their abilities: with a screen reader, with only a keyboard, with low vision, colour blindness or a shaking hand. It is also, increasingly, the law. This is a plain-English overview for the countries where most of my clients are. It is not legal advice; for a decision with legal risk, ask a lawyer in your country.

The standard everyone points to: WCAG

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are published by the W3C. Version 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. Laws usually reference Level AA of version 2.0 or 2.1; building to WCAG 2.2 AA covers them all.

In practice, Level AA means things like:

• Every feature works with a keyboard alone, with a visible focus outline.
• Text has enough contrast with its background.
• Images that carry meaning have text alternatives.
• Forms have proper labels and clear error messages.
• Videos have captions, and nothing flashes dangerously.
• The page still works when someone zooms in or enlarges text.

United States: the ADA

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination by businesses open to the public. In its March 2022 guidance, the Department of Justice said that inaccessible websites can limit access to a business's goods and services, and pointed to WCAG as helpful guidance. The ADA does not name a technical standard for private businesses, but lawsuits about inaccessible websites are filed in large numbers every year, and WCAG is the yardstick courts and plaintiffs use.

European Union: the European Accessibility Act

The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It covers many products and services sold to consumers, including e-commerce, banking services and e-books. Micro-enterprises that provide services, meaning fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than €2 million, are exempt. Each EU country enforces it through its own national law.

If you sell online to customers in the EU and you are larger than a micro-enterprise, plan for it now, even if your business is based outside Europe.

United Kingdom: the Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments so disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage. That applies to services delivered online. Public sector bodies have more specific rules, but for businesses the safe path is the same: WCAG 2.2 AA.

Canada: AODA in Ontario, and federal rules

In Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees, and designated public sector organisations, to make their public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (with two exceptions, for live captions and pre-recorded audio description). Federally regulated organisations have their own duties under the Accessible Canada Act.

Australia: the Disability Discrimination Act

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful to discriminate in providing goods and services, which includes services online. Australia's best-known case came early: in 2000, a blind man successfully complained that the Sydney Olympics website was inaccessible to him. WCAG AA is the expected benchmark.

A warning about overlays

Some products promise to make any website compliant by adding one line of code. In 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission finalised an order requiring one such company, accessiBe, to pay $1 million over claims that its AI tool could make any website WCAG-compliant. Overlays can help a little, but they cannot fix a website whose structure is wrong underneath.

What to do

1. Audit your key pages and journeys with automated checks and, more importantly, with a keyboard and a screen reader.
2. Fix the foundations: headings, labels, contrast, focus, alt text and captions.
3. Publish an accessibility statement that tells people how to reach you if something does not work for them.
4. Train whoever edits the site, because accessibility is easy to break with one new image or a pasted table.

Every site I build targets WCAG 2.2 AA from the first sketch. It is far cheaper than fixing a finished site, and it makes the site better for everyone.

Written by Vish Jay

I design and build websites, online stores and business systems for clients in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and Canada, from Colombo, Sri Lanka. When you work with iVishwa, you talk to me directly, from the first call to launch and after.