Current Levels of Accessibility on the Web: Achievements and Ongoing Challenges

The web is the digital canvas that enables content creators to publish content using the
simplest way to reach a global audience. Often, web page authors forget that not all audiences
they address have the same capabilities. This is where web accessibility, as an
important communication tool, comes into the picture. Web accessibility ensures that
everyone can use and interact with websites and applications, including individuals with
disabilities, such as those with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. Accessibility
means different things to different people, but it is not just a single thing. We can
broadly divide it into three pillars: emotional, functional, and technical. Each pillar must
be accessible in itself, but all must be considered together. People with disabilities navigate
the web in various ways, encountering various barriers. This paper examines web
accessibility from multiple perspectives. It evaluates the European Union’s Web Accessibility
Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2102) and its implementation, exploring the current
accessibility status.