The fact that the web is now an essential information retrieval mechanism brings forward new application of existing laws and policies. Since accessibility has been addressed by legislation in other areas of information technology, it has smoothly transitioned into this body of legislation.

There are three categories that tend to become part of the body of accessibility legislation. Governments establish that individuals with disabilities have a right to readily available information; governments require that products or services sold within a country meet certain criteria for accessibility; or governments require that information technology standards are adhered to by corporations, organizations, or government departments in order to improve accessibility to data content.

The first category -- access to certain kinds of information by individuals with disabilities as a civil right is most common. As countries are becoming more sophisticated about technology laws they see that the combination of these approaches best services their constituency.

Some governments have referenced W3C-WAI guidelines generally; some have specified the name and version number of the document and standard to which they are referring; while others have written their own version of Web accessibility guidelines.

For specific legislation information see the following W3C links:

International Policies Relating to Web Accessibility
United States' Policies Relating to Web Accessibility