| name | global-accessibility |
| description | Use when determining which accessibility law applies to an organization, comparing requirements across jurisdictions (US, EU, Canada, Japan), or planning multi-country accessibility compliance strategy. |
Global Accessibility Compliance
Overview
Hub for navigating accessibility laws across jurisdictions. Helps determine which laws apply based on where an organization operates and who it serves, and cross-references jurisdiction-specific skills for detailed requirements.
Instructions
When advising on global accessibility:
- Identify where the organization operates and serves users
- Map to applicable laws using the jurisdiction table below
- Load the jurisdiction-specific skill for detailed requirements
- For technical WCAG auditing, use
accessibility-compliance:wcag-audit-patterns
Jurisdiction Comparison
| US (ADA) | US (Section 508) | EU (EAA) | EU (WAD) | Canada (AODA) | Canada (ACA) | Japan |
|---|
| Law | ADA Title II/III | Rehabilitation Act §508 | Directive 2019/882 | Directive 2016/2102 | AODA 2005 | ACA 2019 | Discrimination Act 2016 |
| Sector | Gov + private | Federal | Private + public | Public | All (Ontario) | Federal | All |
| WCAG | 2.1 AA | 2.0 AA | 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) | 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) | 2.0 AA | 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) | 2.0 AA |
| Beyond web | Physical facilities | ICT procurement | Hardware, kiosks, e-books | No | Public spaces | Documents, apps, hardware | No |
| Key deadline | Apr 2026/2027 | In force | 28 Jun 2025 | In force | In force | Dec 2027/2028 | Voluntary |
| Max penalty | $150K | Remediation | €500K | Per state | $100K/day | AMPs | ¥200K |
| Skill | ada-compliance | ada-compliance | eaa-compliance | eaa-compliance | aoda-compliance | aoda-compliance | jis-accessibility |
Quick Decision Guide
"Which law applies to us?"
- Serve US users or operate in US → ADA (Title II if government, Title III if private). Federal agency/contractor → also Section 508.
- Serve EU users or sell products in EU → EAA (private) or WAD (public). Applies regardless of HQ location.
- Operate in Ontario → AODA. Federally regulated in Canada → also ACA.
- Operate in Japan → Reasonable accommodations required (2024). JIS X 8341-3 recommended, not mandated.
- Multiple jurisdictions → comply with the most stringent applicable standard. Usually this means WCAG 2.1 AA + EN 301 549 for full coverage.
Practical Strategy for Multi-Jurisdiction Compliance
- Baseline: WCAG 2.1 AA — satisfies the technical requirements of all current laws
- Target: WCAG 2.2 AA — future-proofs against upcoming updates (EN 301 549 v4, ADA evolution)
- Beyond WCAG: If EU or Canada applies, also audit against EN 301 549 (documents, software, hardware)
- Physical spaces: If US ADA or Ontario AODA applies, audit built environment separately
- Accessibility statement: Required by EAA, WAD, ACA. Best practice everywhere.
Upcoming Changes
| What | When | Impact |
|---|
| EN 301 549 v4.1.1 (WCAG 2.2 AA) | Expected 2026 | EU standard upgrade |
| ADA Title II 50K+ compliance | April 24, 2026 | US government websites |
| ADA Title II <50K compliance | April 26, 2027 | Smaller US governments |
| ACA Phase 1 — federal public sector | December 2027 | Canadian federal web pages |
| ACA Phase 1 — private businesses | December 2028 | Canadian federally regulated orgs |
Related Skills
ada-compliance — US ADA Title II/III + Section 508 (WCAG 2.1 AA, physical facilities)eaa-compliance — EU European Accessibility Act + EN 301 549 (products, services, hardware)aoda-compliance — Canada AODA (Ontario) + ACA (federal) (WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA, EN 301 549)jis-accessibility — Japan JIS X 8341-3 (WCAG 2.0 AA)accessibility-compliance:wcag-audit-patterns — Technical WCAG audit checklists, code examples, automated testing
References
