Digital accessibility: what it means and who it covers
Digital accessibility means everyone can use a site, whatever their sight, hearing, dexterity or assistive technology. This page explains what that means in practice, what WCAG is, and who the Polish law covers.
What digital accessibility is
A site is accessible when it can be used regardless of how someone perceives it and what they operate it with. It is not a separate version for disabled people: it is one site that works for everyone.
A barrier is anything that stops that. The most common ones look like this:
- A product photo with no alternative description. For someone using a screen reader it simply does not exist.
- Text contrast that is too low. A problem for someone with low vision, and for anyone looking at a phone in sunlight.
- A form field with no label, and an error message that says only "error" without saying what is wrong.
- A menu that cannot be opened with the Tab key because it only responds to a mouse hover.
- No visible outline on the element that has focus, so a keyboard user cannot tell where they are.
- A button too small to hit with a finger on a phone.
None of these affect only disabled people. Each of them also makes life harder for someone older, tired, in a noisy place, or with one hand full.
WCAG 2.2 and its conformance levels
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, an international standard from the W3C. Version 2.2 is current. The guidelines come in three conformance levels, and the difference between them is scope, not quality of workmanship.
| Level | What it covers | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| A | The minimum. Removes barriers that make a site unusable outright. | Not enough to call a site accessible. |
| AA | The level regulations and industry standards refer to. | The practical target for any commercial site. |
| AAA | The highest. Some criteria cannot be met for certain kinds of content. | The W3C does not recommend it as a requirement for a whole site. |
That is why people say WCAG 2.2 Level AA rather than just "WCAG compliant". Without the level, the sentence says nothing.
Who the Polish law covers
The Polish act of 26 April 2024 on ensuring compliance with the accessibility requirements of certain products and services (Journal of Laws 2024, item 731) implements EU Directive 2019/882, known as the European Accessibility Act. The compliance deadline passed on 28 June 2025.
The obligation covers, among others:
- e-commerce, meaning online stores
- retail banking
- telecommunications services
- passenger transport
- e-books and their distribution services
- audiovisual media services
- Microenterprises providing services are excluded from this obligation.
- Supervision rests with the President of PFRON and the market surveillance authorities for each sector.
If your line of business is not on that list, the obligation most likely does not apply to you. Accessibility is then a question of quality rather than compliance.
The accessibility statement in the public sector
This is a separate act with a separate set of addressees. The Act of 4 April 2019 on the digital accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public entities (Dz.U. 2019 poz. 848) requires public entities, among them government offices, schools and local authorities, to publish an accessibility statement. Private companies, including the online stores listed above, are not covered by it.
A statement reports the results of an accessibility assessment, so it cannot be issued before that assessment happens. The order is fixed:
- the conformity assessment, that is, an accessibility audit of the service
- a description of its results, that is, the wording of the statement
- publication of the statement on the site
The statement has to be reviewed and updated by 31 March each year, and beyond that after any significant change to the service that could have affected its accessibility.
Common questions
What is the difference between WCAG and the law?
WCAG is a technical standard from the W3C, used worldwide and independent of any country’s law. An act is national legislation that says who has to meet it and by when. WCAG says how; the act says who and by when.
Is accessibility only about blind users?
No. It also covers people with low vision, deaf and hard of hearing people, people with limited dexterity, people with cognitive difficulties, and in practice anyone using a site in unhelpful conditions: in sunlight, in noise, on a small screen, or with one hand free.
Where do I start if I already have a site?
By finding out where you stand. Go through your own site using the keyboard alone, with no mouse, and try to complete the contact form. If you cannot, or you cannot tell which element you are on, you have your answer. The next step is an audit, which names the specific barriers and puts them in priority order.
I take single questions further in separate pieces: digital accessibility articles.
What next
If you want to check or fix your own site, I offer three services:
- Accessibility audit and conformance assessmentfor online stores
- Accessible website design and buildfor service businesses
- Accessibility trainingfor teams
Let’s build a site accessible to everyone
Conformant with WCAG 2.2 and designed around the people who will use it. Write to me, I reply within one business day.