CPACC Global Accessibility Laws 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Japanese Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (2013) places what type of obligation on private businesses?
- Criminal penalties for non-compliance
- A legal duty to provide reasonable accommodation with no 'undue burden' exception
- A best-efforts obligation (努力義務) rather than a strict legal mandate (Correct answer)
- Mandatory WCAG 2.1 AA conformance for all websites
Correct answer: A best-efforts obligation (努力義務) rather than a strict legal mandate
Japan's 2013 Act obligates public bodies legally but imposes only a best-efforts (努力義務, doryoku gimu) obligation on private entities, meaning it is strongly encouraged but not strictly enforced.
Question 2: Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires:
- All websites to conform to WCAG 2.0
- Telecommunications equipment and services to be accessible to people with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Broadcasters to provide audio descriptions for all programming
- Internet service providers to offer accessible billing interfaces
Correct answer: Telecommunications equipment and services to be accessible to people with disabilities
Section 255 requires manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of telecommunications services to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities.
Question 3: The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) of 2010 primarily addressed accessibility in which area?
- Federal government procurement of IT
- Advanced communications services and video programming (Correct answer)
- Physical accessibility of broadcast studios
- Health information technology
Correct answer: Advanced communications services and video programming
The CVAA updated federal communications law to require modern communications technologies and video programming to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Question 4: Under the EU Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102), what must public sector bodies publish alongside their accessible websites?
- VPAT documentation
- An accessibility statement describing conformance status (Correct answer)
- Annual third-party audit reports
- A list of all known barriers with estimated fix dates
Correct answer: An accessibility statement describing conformance status
The EU Web Accessibility Directive requires public sector bodies to publish an accessibility statement explaining their level of conformance and any content that is not accessible.
Question 5: Which legal concept, established in U.S. ADA case law, holds that an organization must provide equal access even if it means fundamentally altering services or causing undue financial burden?
- Disparate impact
- Undue hardship / fundamental alteration (as a defense, not a mandate) (Correct answer)
- Reasonable accommodation
- Effective communication
Correct answer: Undue hardship / fundamental alteration (as a defense, not a mandate)
Under the ADA, 'undue hardship' and 'fundamental alteration' are legal defenses that excuse compliance, not affirmative mandates — businesses need not comply if doing so imposes these burdens.
Question 6: Brazil's Law of Inclusion (Law 13.146/2015) requires websites of companies operating in Brazil to be accessible, referencing which standard?
- ISO 9241
- eMAG (Modelo de Acessibilidade em Governo Eletrônico) (Correct answer)
- WCAG 2.0 Level AA directly
- EN 301 549
Correct answer: eMAG (Modelo de Acessibilidade em Governo Eletrônico)
Brazil uses eMAG, its own government electronic accessibility model aligned with WCAG, as the reference standard for public digital accessibility requirements under Law 13.146.
Question 7: When a U.S. federal agency procures ICT under Section 508, which document do vendors typically provide to describe their product's accessibility conformance?
- Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) using a VPAT template (Correct answer)
- ISO 30071-1 audit certificate
- ATAG compliance checklist
- EN 301 549 self-assessment form
Correct answer: Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) using a VPAT template
Vendors provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) completed as an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) to document how their ICT product meets Section 508 requirements.
CPACC Global Accessibility Laws 5
The Japanese Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (2013) places what type of obligation on private businesses?