Quick Answer
The UAE's digital accessibility framework has five layers: Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 (the foundational disability law), Dubai Law No. 3 of 2022, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority's (TDRA) National Digital Accessibility Policy from March 2024, the Dubai Universal Design Code, and Article 358 of the 2021 Criminal Code. The compliance standard across all five layers is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with government entities already moving to WCAG 2.2 and TDRA updating its Web Accessibility Policy to align with 2.2, expected to finalize in 2026. The 2024 policy extends requirements to private sector companies providing public-facing services, including ecommerce, health, education, and financial platforms. Administrative penalties reach AED 200,000 under the Disability Act, and criminal penalties under Article 358 reach AED 1,000,000. A UAE accessibility audit tests your website, app, or platform against WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA and shows exactly where you stand against every layer of this framework.
In Simple Terms
Think of this audit as a legal and technical health check for your website or product against the UAE's five-layer accessibility framework, federal law, Dubai law, national policy, design code, and criminal code, all of which point to the same technical target: WCAG accessibility.
Key Takeaways
- The UAE's digital accessibility framework has five layers: Federal Law No. 29 of 2006, Dubai Law No. 3 of 2022, the TDRA National Digital Accessibility Policy (March 2024), the Dubai Universal Design Code, and Article 358 of the 2021 Criminal Code
- The compliance standard across all layers is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, with government entities already moving to WCAG 2.2
- TDRA is updating its Web Accessibility Policy to align with WCAG 2.2, with finalization expected in 2026
- The 2024 National Digital Accessibility Policy extends requirements to private sector companies providing public-facing services, including ecommerce, health, education, and financial services
- Administrative penalties reach AED 200,000 under the Disability Act; criminal penalties under Article 358 reach AED 1,000,000
- The UAE uses the term 'People of Determination' as the official, preferred term for persons with disabilities
- Government entities must publish accessibility statements and submit compliance reports; private sector organizations providing public services face the same standards
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10+ Years of Accessibility Experience
verified
CPWA, CPACC and WAS Certified Specialists
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Manual + Automated Testing
hearing
Screen Reader Testing
code
Developer-Friendly Reports
public
Global Accessibility Consulting
Websites
Corporate websites, marketing sites, government websites, university websites, healthcare websites, ecommerce journeys, landing pages, blogs, resource libraries, and multilingual content experiences.
Web Applications
Customer portals, admin dashboards, CRMs, internal software, enterprise workflows, complex forms, authenticated user journeys, data tables, reports, notifications, and role-based interfaces.
SaaS Products
B2B platforms, cloud software, analytics dashboards, AI applications, product onboarding flows, account settings, billing workflows, and feature-rich application screens.
Mobile Applications
Native iOS, native Android, hybrid applications, progressive web apps, orientation changes, touch targets, gestures, screen reader flows, zoom behavior, and mobile form interactions.
Digital Documents
PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint files, forms, reports, policy documents, financial statements, healthcare documents, education resources, and procurement documentation.
Design Systems
Reusable components, UI libraries, pattern libraries, design tokens, Figma components, interaction patterns, and documentation that affects many pages or product screens.
Public-facing teams
Marketing, ecommerce, healthcare, government, education, nonprofit, and service organizations use accessibility audits to make essential public content available to more people.
Product and SaaS teams
Product teams use audits to validate complex workflows, reduce accessibility debt, improve component libraries, and prepare for enterprise accessibility reviews.
Procurement and compliance teams
Legal, compliance, procurement, and sales teams use audit evidence to answer buyer questions, support VPAT work, and document remediation commitments.
Website Accessibility Audits
Evaluate public websites against WCAG 2.2 AA using manual testing, automated scanning, keyboard-only navigation, and assistive technologies.
Web Application Accessibility Audits
Review authenticated user journeys, dashboards, complex forms, data tables, notifications, custom widgets, and enterprise workflows.
Mobile Accessibility Audits
Test native and hybrid applications using VoiceOver, TalkBack, keyboard alternatives, zoom, orientation changes, touch target review, and gesture accessibility checks.
PDF And Document Accessibility Audits
Assess PDFs and office documents for tagging, reading order, alternative text, bookmarks, form fields, headings, tables, and screen reader compatibility.
Accessibility Design Reviews
Identify accessibility issues in Figma files, design systems, and component specs before development begins, reducing rework and improving handoff quality.
VPAT And Procurement Reviews
Evaluate products and prepare accessibility documentation that supports enterprise and government procurement conversations.
Missing Alternative Text
Missing or inaccurate alternative text prevents screen reader users from understanding meaningful images, icons, charts, infographics, product photos, and linked graphics. We identify images that need concise alternatives, images that should be marked decorative, and complex visuals that need longer explanations.
Keyboard Accessibility
Many users navigate with a keyboard, switch device, voice control, or assistive technology that relies on keyboard behavior. We test focus order, skip links, menus, modals, tabs, accordions, custom widgets, and form flows without a mouse.
Color Contrast
Low contrast can make text, buttons, icons, form controls, and charts difficult or impossible to perceive. We evaluate contrast for normal text, large text, UI components, focus indicators, disabled states, links, and error messages.
Forms
Forms often block users when labels, instructions, required indicators, validation messages, and error handling are not accessible. We test forms with keyboard navigation and screen readers to confirm users can complete and submit successfully.
Headings And Structure
Headings, lists, landmarks, tables, and reading order help assistive technology users understand a page quickly. We identify skipped heading levels, missing landmarks, and reading-order mismatches.
Dynamic Content
Modern applications often update content without refreshing the page. We test status messages, ARIA live regions, notifications, and single-page app transitions to confirm important changes are announced correctly.
| Feature |
Automated Testing |
Manual Testing |
| Speed |
Fast (minutes) |
Slower (days) |
| Cost |
Low |
Higher, but more accurate |
| Manual WCAG Review |
No |
Yes |
| Keyboard Navigation |
Limited |
Complete |
| Screen Reader Compatibility |
No |
Yes |
| Logical Reading Order |
No |
Yes |
| Meaningful Alternative Text |
No |
Yes |
| Form Usability |
Partial |
Yes |
| Overall User Experience |
No |
Yes |
Helpful Statistics
-
1 in 6 people The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 1 in 6 people globally live with a significant disability, a substantial share of any organization's customers, patients, students, or employees.
WHO Disability Fact Sheet →
-
WCAG is the international technical baseline. WCAG is the international technical baseline. Regulations and procurement processes worldwide reference WCAG directly or indirectly when defining accessibility requirements.
W3C WCAG →
-
56.1 errors per page The WebAIM Million report has found detectable WCAG failures on the large majority of home pages tested every year since the study began, most commonly low-contrast text, missing alternative text, empty links, and missing form labels.
WebAIM Million →
Choose This Service If You Need
- Federal Law No. 29 baseline compliance review
- Dubai Law No. 3 and Universal Design Code conformance testing
- TDRA National Digital Accessibility Policy compliance for public-facing services
- WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 AA gap analysis
- Accessibility statement and compliance report preparation
- Developer-ready remediation roadmap
NVDA
JAWS
VoiceOver
TalkBack
Keyboard-only navigation
Browser zoom
Voice Control
Switch Control
Axe
ARC Toolkit
WAVE
Accessibility Insights
Chrome DevTools
Safari
Firefox
React
Next.js
Angular
Vue
WordPress
Drupal
Shopify
Magento
WooCommerce
Laravel
ASP.NET
Java
Flutter
React Native
Executive Summary
A clear summary of audit scope, key risks, priority themes, and recommended next steps for stakeholders.
Accessibility Score
A practical status snapshot that helps teams understand current accessibility maturity and remediation priorities.
Detailed Issue Report
Issue-by-issue findings with screenshots, affected URLs or screens, severity ratings, standard references, and reproduction steps.
Developer Recommendations
Practical remediation guidance, code-level notes, component recommendations, and examples your developers can act on.
Compliance-Ready Documentation
Findings organized to support accessibility statements, VPAT and ACR documentation, and procurement or legal review.
Optional Retest Report
Validation evidence after remediation, showing which issues were fixed and what remains open.
Healthcare
Accessibility audits for patient portals, provider websites, medical forms, telehealth journeys, and healthcare documents.
Government
Audits for public services, citizen portals, forms, documents, and procurement requirements.
Banking
Audits for financial journeys, statements, account dashboards, authentication flows, reports, and high-risk transactional experiences.
SaaS
Audits for B2B products, dashboards, analytics, onboarding, admin settings, and enterprise procurement readiness.
Education
Audits for university websites, LMS experiences, EdTech platforms, digital documents, admissions journeys, and student services.
Retail
Audits for ecommerce product pages, carts, checkout, filters, account flows, promotions, and customer support journeys.
Certified Accessibility Expertise
HalfAccessible brings CPWA, CPACC, and WAS accessibility expertise to audits, remediation support, documentation, and product guidance.
Developer-Friendly Reporting
Reports are written for action. Developers receive clear reproduction steps, expected behavior, affected users, standard mapping, and remediation guidance.
Cross-Border Experience
We support businesses operating across multiple regulatory regions with a single audit benchmarked to the highest applicable standard.
Practical Turnaround
Audit scope is tailored to your product and priorities so your team receives useful findings without unnecessary reporting overhead.
- Page title is unique and descriptive
- Headings follow a logical structure
- Landmarks identify major page regions
- Keyboard users can reach every interactive element
- Focus order matches the visual and logical order
- Visible focus indicators are clear
- No keyboard traps are present
- Links and buttons have meaningful accessible names
- Images have appropriate alternative text
- Text and UI components meet contrast requirements
- Forms have labels, instructions, and accessible error handling
- Dialogs, menus, tabs, and accordions expose state correctly
- Tables include appropriate headers
- Media includes captions or transcripts
- PDFs include tags and a logical reading order
- Mobile screens support zoom, orientation, and large touch targets
- Authentication flows are accessible
- Reports include standard references and remediation guidance
Ready to Meet the UAE's Digital Accessibility Requirements?
Whether you're a government entity publishing an accessibility statement, a private business now covered by the TDRA's 2024 policy, or preparing for the shift to WCAG 2.2, our certified specialists will identify every real accessibility barrier and hand your team a prioritized, developer-ready roadmap. Quick audits start at $500, complete audits at $2,000.
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