Accessibility News for January 2026

Accessibility Law Reform in Canada

Canada has finalised significant new digital accessibility requirements under amendments to the Accessible Canada Regulations, known as the Digital Technologies Accessibility Regulations.

Registered in December 2025, these reforms introduce clearer and more prescriptive obligations for federal public-sector bodies and large federally regulated private-sector organisations. The new rules will apply from December 2027 for most federal public-sector entities, and from December 2028 for large private-sector entities, marking a substantial shift toward enforceable digital accessibility conformance.

The regulations focus on removing and preventing barriers across websites, web applications, mobile applications, and digital documents such as PDFs. They formally adopt the CAN/ASC EN 301 549 ICT accessibility standard, which incorporates WCAG requirements and aligns with existing provincial accessibility laws. New obligations include digital accessibility conformity requirements, public accessibility statements, documented conformity and gap assessments, and mandatory accessibility training for staff involved in developing, maintaining, or procuring digital technologies.

Importantly, these reforms form part of a broader international trend toward stronger, standardised digital accessibility regulation. Following the introduction of the European Accessibility Act in 2025, governments are increasingly moving from principles-based approaches to clearer conformance expectations and accountability mechanisms. Together, these developments reinforce that digital accessibility is becoming a baseline requirement for operating in global digital markets, with implications for design, procurement, governance, and ongoing digital service delivery.

New Report on State of Accessibility

A recently released global report on digital accessibility shows continued growth in organisational focus, investment, and regulatory awareness, alongside persistent gaps in execution. 

Based on a survey of more than 1,600 digital experience professionals across the EU, US, and UK, the State of Digital Accessibility Report 2025–2026 finds that 89 percent of respondents believe accessibility provides a competitive advantage, while 75 percent link it to improved revenue and 90 percent to improved customer satisfaction. The findings point to accessibility being increasingly embedded within mainstream digital strategy rather than treated as a specialist issue 

The report also highlights strong indicators of program maturity, with 77 percent of organisations reporting an accessibility policy, dedicated budget, and an accountable owner, and 68 percent planning to maintain or increase accessibility investment in the year ahead. At the same time, perceived legal and regulatory risk remains high, with 59 percent of respondents saying their organisation is at risk. 

Globally, the report identifies accelerating adoption of AI-enabled accessibility tools, with 82 percent of organisations now using AI in their accessibility work and 86 percent considering AI capabilities when procuring accessibility solutions.

Despite growing awareness and investment, the report highlights that persistent gaps in implementation and conformance remain across global markets. While many organisations report having accessibility policies and budgets in place, fewer are embedding accessibility early and consistently across design and development workflows, contributing to uneven outcomes. 

Regulatory readiness also lags behind awareness, with a significant proportion of organisations acknowledging that laws such as the European Accessibility Act apply to them but reporting that they are not yet fully compliant. These findings indicate that structural commitment does not always translate into practical, end-to-end conformance, leaving many organisations exposed to ongoing legal and operational risk.

US Accessibility Lawsuits in 2025

New data from the 2025 Year-End Digital Accessibility Lawsuit Report compiled by UsableNet shows that digital accessibility litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act remains high-volume and sustained. 

More than 5,000 lawsuits were filed in 2025 across federal and key state courts. The report highlights several consistent risk patterns. 

Nearly half of federal lawsuits targeted organisations that had already been sued previously, reinforcing that partial or surface-level fixes do little to reduce ongoing legal exposure. Litigation remains heavily concentrated in eCommerce and food service, and larger brands continue to attract increasing scrutiny, particularly high-traffic websites where plaintiffs can demonstrate an intention to return.

Importantly, the report confirms that accessibility widgets do not reduce legal risk. Many lawsuits in 2025 were filed against organisations already using these tools, which often fail to address underlying code-level issues and may interfere with assistive technologies. 

The findings reinforce a clear message for organisations operating in the US market, meaningful remediation, alignment with recognised accessibility standards, and ongoing governance are essential to managing legal risk in an increasingly mature and strategic litigation landscape.