Sync with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and you sync with compliance for accessibility laws.
Why is compliance so simple?
Because WCAG is the globally recognized standard for web accessibility and the principles apply to digital assets.
So if your digital asset is WCAG 2.1 AA or WCAG 2.2 AA conformant you likely meet or exceed technical requirements set out under any law or regulation. In fact, we see WCAG adopted or incorporated into several laws.
The Accessibility Tracker is completely aligned with WCAG because it’s an audit-based platform. This is a completely different approach than every other platform we can find on the market — they’re all scan based and, as everyone knows, scans are extremely limited. We recently wrote on how scans can only reliably flag 13% of WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria.
Let’s talk about why the fundamental shift to audit-based means everything when it comes to regulatory compliance.
Table of Contents
EAA Compliance
When the EAA takes effect on June 28, 2025, regulators will look for WCAG conformance. The platform tracks your progress toward full conformance using comprehensive audit data. Every issue in your project represents a real WCAG requirement.
Upload your audit spreadsheet and the platform extracts every issue, recommendation, and detail. Your team works through accessibility barriers identified by professional evaluation, including screen reader testing and keyboard testing. This systematic approach builds toward the conformance that regulations require.
The platform organizes audit findings into manageable workflows. Issues get assigned based on expertise. Designers handle color contrast while developers address navigation. Everyone works simultaneously toward EAA compliance.
Compliance Documentation
Regulatory compliance requires documentation. The platform generates the documentation automatically. Every action on every issue gets logged.
Monthly progress reports show which WCAG success criteria you’ve addressed. They document completion percentages and validation status. This transparency demonstrates your commitment to meeting EAA requirements.
The comment log creates an audit trail of decisions and implementations. When regulators ask about your approach, you have the complete history. This documentation proves remediation followed WCAG standards and professional recommendations.
Issue validation adds credibility. When an auditor confirms fixes meet WCAG requirements, it’s recorded in the platform. This verification strengthens your compliance documentation.
European Accessibility Act (EAA)
Organizations are preparing for the EAA because the law sets out hard deadlines and applies across multiple industries. What executives want is clarity: they need a single framework that ensures their products and services won’t be caught out of compliance across the EU. Accessibility Tracker provides that direct alignment.
The EAA is Europe’s sweeping accessibility directive, which went into effect on June 28, 2025. It requires that digital products and services — including websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, banking, and transport platforms — meet accessibility standards.
The technical annex of the EAA maps very closely to WCAG 2.1 AA (and the EAA even uses WCAG’s core principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust). That means organizations that use Accessibility Tracker to manage audit issues and validate fixes are effectively aligning with the EAA’s baseline requirements.
- Tracker ensures issues are documented, assigned, and validated
- Progress reports provide the proof regulators will want to see
- Audit-based workflows eliminate the guesswork of incomplete scan data
If you’re managing your compliance progress inside of Accessibility Tracker, this will be extremely helpful documentation when it comes to complying with monitoring authority requests.
ADA Title II Web Accessibility Rule
Public entities know the DOJ rule is not optional—it’s enforceable. Decision-makers are looking for solutions that not only reduce risk but also give them credible records to defend their programs when questioned. They want evidence, not empty scan badges.
In April 2024, the Department of Justice finalized its ADA Title II web and mobile accessibility rule. This applies to state and local governments, requiring their websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
This is a direct mandate, not a vague suggestion. Governments must demonstrate compliance. Accessibility Tracker provides:
- A centralized audit issue list, directly mapped to WCAG
- Validation logs showing fixes were confirmed
- Automatic monthly reports to serve as compliance documentation
Instead of piecing together Excel files and email threads, governments can show a clean, auditable trail of accessibility progress.
Serial Website Accessibility Litigation
Private companies face a different pressure—lawsuits. Executives want to stop being blindsided by demand letters and costly settlements. They’re looking for a proactive system that shows accessibility is being handled and can be demonstrated to outside counsel if needed.
In the U.S., private lawsuits under ADA Title III and similar state laws (like California’s Unruh Act or New York’s Civil Rights Law) continue to drive compliance pressure. Thousands of lawsuits are filed annually — many by a handful of repeat plaintiffs and law firms.
The common thread? Plaintiffs cite WCAG failures.
Audit-based tracking protects organizations in two ways:
- Prevention – By fixing high risk issues before plaintiffs’ lawyers find them
- Defense – By documenting a compliance process that shows accessibility is being addressed systematically
Scans can never provide this level of defense. A “100% scan score” is meaningless when other accessibility issues exist. Tracker ensures the organization works from real data.
Other Laws and Regulations
Leadership teams don’t want to chase different standards in every jurisdiction. They want one roadmap that covers all compliance requirements. WCAG alignment through Accessibility Tracker provides that universal standard.
- Canada: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requires WCAG 2.0 AA
- U.S. Federal Agencies: Section 508 requires WCAG 2.0 AA conformance
- Colorado: HB21-1110 requires state and local government digital assets to meet WCAG 2.1 AA
Because Tracker is built directly on WCAG audit data, it syncs seamlessly with these laws. Organizations don’t need a separate compliance strategy for each jurisdiction — they just need a clear, validated WCAG conformance strategy.
Audit-Based Tracking for Compliance
C-suites and legal teams are looking for certainty. They need to know their accessibility program is based on data that would stand up to scrutiny, not marketing claims about scans. They want proof they can hand to regulators, courts, or boards of directors.
The difference between scan-based and audit-based isn’t just technical — it’s legal.
- Scan data is incomplete: Only 13% of WCAG criteria are reliably flagged
- Audit data is comprehensive: Every single issue is evaluated against a WCAG criterion, documented, and then validated
- Compliance requires proof: Progress reports and analytics data serve as living evidence of accessibility progress
For regulators, courts, and attorneys this tangible proof is exactly what they’re looking. Accessibility Tracker ensures organizations aren’t just “passing a scan” but actually building and maintaining compliance.
FAQ
How does the Accessibility Tracker platform differ from other compliance tools?
The platform is based on accessibility audit reports that evaluate all WCAG success criteria. This approach aligns with regulatory requirements that expect full WCAG conformance. The tracking, AI assistance, and validation features create the documentation trail that compliance requires.
The consensus market software is scan-based.
How does Tracker AI assist with WCAG conformance?
Tracker AI can help your team fix every single issue in your accessibility audit report. The AI extracts your actual audit data, providing targeted assistance for each issue. This helps teams implement fixes faster that are more likely to be validated the first time. This means you complete your project faster.
What if we need to demonstrate compliance for multiple regulations?
Accessibility Tracker is audit-based and WCAG centric which means it’s applicable to a wide range of legal and compliance requirements:
- European Accessibility Act (EAA)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Section 508
- lawsuit settlement terms
How does the platform document compliance efforts?
Every action gets logged in the platform. Monthly progress reports show completion percentages and validated fixes. Comment logs preserve decision history. This documentation demonstrates systematic compliance efforts to regulators, legal teams, and stakeholders.
How can this help us if we’re already being sued or investigated?
Accessibility Tracker provides documentation that shows accessibility is being addressed systematically. Every issue, assignment, and validation is logged, creating a compliance record you can present to opposing counsel, regulators, or courts. This evidence demonstrates that your organization is actively working toward WCAG conformance, which can strengthen your defense, reduce settlement exposure, and show regulators a good faith effort to remediate.
Start Tracking
Organizations that use Accessibility Tracker aren’t just checking compliance boxes — they’re building accessible digital assets that reach more users, reduce risk, and strengthen brand trust.
You can start with a free plan at AccessibilityTracker.com.
