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Accessibility standards and laws

Understand which requirements apply to your websites, apps and documents: regional laws and policies, international legislation and the technical standards used to assess conformance.

Discuss your requirements

Accessibility requirements in context

Digital accessibility requirements come from several sources. A law sets rights and duties, a government policy defines what public bodies must deliver, and a technical standard such as WCAG describes how the result is tested.

Which requirements apply depends on who you are, where you operate and who uses your services. This reference summarises the instruments we work with most often across the Middle East and Africa, and the international requirements that reach organisations serving other markets.

How the requirements fit together

  • Laws and regulations

    Set legal rights and duties, such as equal access to services. Many rely on a regulation, policy or technical standard to define what an accessible result is.

  • Government policies

    Direct public bodies and the suppliers working for them. The UAE National Digital Accessibility Policy is supported by implementation guidance such as the UAE A11y Code.

  • Technical standards

    Define testable requirements. WCAG covers web content, EN 301 549 covers information and communications technology more broadly and PDF/UA covers documents.

  • Implementation guidance

    Helps teams meet a standard in practice, through design systems, W3C guidance and organisational codes of practice such as ISO/IEC 30071-1.

Middle East and Africa

Across the region, national disability-rights laws sit alongside digital government policies. Public bodies usually carry the most specific digital obligations; private organisations should also check sector regulation, contracts and the markets they serve.

International laws for regional organisations

Organisations in the region often serve customers and partners elsewhere. A provider of consumer banking or e-commerce in the EU, a supplier to US federal agencies or a group with UK operations may need to meet these requirements too.

Technical standards and guidance

Laws and policies define who must act; these standards define what an accessible result looks like. Each engagement records the standard, version and conformance level it is measured against.

From requirements to delivery

We start by identifying the requirements that apply to your services, markets and contracts, then agree a measurable target such as WCAG 2.2 Level AA. An accessibility audit maps each finding to that target, while policy review and strategy and governance connect it with procurement, ownership and reporting.

In the UAE, AxessAll authored the UAE A11y Code within the Digital Accessibility Policy Framework and Implementation Roadmap for TDRA. For documents, document accessibility work states whether PDF/UA-1 or PDF/UA-2 is the target.

Standards and compliance questions

Does WCAG conformance mean we comply with the law?

Not on its own. WCAG is the technical benchmark most laws and policies reference, but legal duties can also cover procurement, documents, support channels, accessibility statements and reasonable adjustments. We map technical results to the obligations in scope.

Which version of WCAG should we target?

Meet the version your requirement names. Where you have a choice, WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the current W3C Recommendation, and content that meets it also meets the earlier versions, so it is the practical target for new work.

Do European or US laws apply to organisations in the Middle East?

They can. The European Accessibility Act applies to covered products and services offered in the EU, wherever the provider is based. US federal agencies apply Section 508 when they buy technology, so their suppliers are asked for evidence.

Is the UAE A11y Code a law?

No. The Code supports implementation of the National Digital Accessibility Policy. It sets out testable requirements for the platforms federal entities use, while the policy is the instrument that places obligations on those entities.

Is this page legal advice?

No. It summarises requirements in general terms and was reviewed against official sources in October 2026. For a specific obligation, read the official text and take legal advice where needed; we help you turn the outcome into technical and organisational work.

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Tell us about your services, your priorities and the people who use them. We will help you define the right support, agree a clear scope and plan your next steps.

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