2026 update · Free toolkit
Towards building inclusive digital communities
A practical ICT accessibility toolkit and self-assessment for governments, regulators, industry, academia and organisations of persons with disabilities — updated for the standards and laws in force in 2026.
- 1.3 billionpeople — 16% of the world — live with significant disabilityWHO, 2022
- 2.2 billionpeople are still offlineITU, 2025
- 95.9%of the top one million home pages fail automated WCAG checksWebAIM, 2026
- 193parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesUN Treaty Collection
About this edition: adapted and updated by BeAccessible from the ITU publication “Towards building inclusive digital communities”: ITU toolkit and self-assessment for ICT accessibility implementation (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO). This is not an official ITU edition and ITU does not endorse it. Read the full attribution.
Why it matters
Public services, education, health, banking and work have moved online. If digital products and services are not accessible, older people, persons with disabilities, people with low literacy and many others are shut out. Digital inclusion needs connectivity, affordability, digital skills and accessibility — this toolkit focuses on accessibility.
A human right
CRPD Articles 9 and 30 require equal access to ICT, the Internet, television and cultural content. The 2030 Agenda pledges to leave no one behind.
A growing population
About 1.3 billion people have significant disability (WHO, 2022), and over 2.5 billion need at least one assistive product (WHO and UNICEF, 2022). The number of people aged 60+ is expected to reach about 1.4 billion by 2030.
A global commitment
ITU Resolution 58 (Rev. Baku, 2025) asks ITU to help Member States mainstream ICT accessibility and names this toolkit as a reference. The 2025 Amman-Berlin Declaration sets a 15% inclusion target for development projects.
Good for everyone
Accessible design improves usability for all users, widens markets and talent pools, and supports disaster resilience by making emergency information reach everyone.
Who does what
Governments and policy-makers
- Make laws and policies guaranteeing equal access to ICT.
- Co-design them with organisations of persons with disabilities.
- Create a market for accessible ICT through procurement and standards.
Industry
- Build products and services to international standards.
- Innovate inclusively and test with disabled users.
- Employ persons with disabilities.
Academia
- Teach designers and developers accessibility.
- Produce accessible content.
- Run accessible learning environments.
Organisations of persons with disabilities
- Work with government to secure the right to accessible ICT.
- Build digital skills.
- Raise awareness.
What's new
Status as at 12 October 2026. Laws and standards change — always check the linked primary source before relying on a date.
How it works
Read the toolkit
Skim what's new, the best practice library and the glossary so everyone answering uses the same definitions.
Answer one item at a time
Pick one of five answers for each item across seven ITU areas, plus an optional 2026 area on AI. Your answers save in this browser.
Get your phase and roadmap
See your implementation phase for each area and recommendations matched to your answers. Print or save as PDF.
Repeat and monitor
Re-run the assessment after acting on the recommendations to track progress towards role-model status.
The answer scale
| Response | Value |
|---|---|
| Yes | 5 |
| About to be completed (more than 50%) | 4 |
| Implementation in progress (up to 50%) | 3 |
| Starting / about to start | 2 |
| No | 1 |
The five phases
Phases follow the ITU methodology, aligned with the G3ict DARE Index.
The seven areas
Commitment: 1 Law and regulation · 2 Political buy-in · 3 Standards
Implementation capacity: 4 Procurement · 5 Training · 6 Monitoring · 7 E-government
2026 addition (scored separately): 8 AI and emerging technology
Discover your phase
About 15–20 minutes. One item per screen. Answer for your country, region or organisation. If you are unsure, choose the more cautious answer — results are only as accurate as the answers given. There is no time limit.
Guidelines and best practice
Every question with its recommendations for each score range and updated best practice resources. Open an area to read it.
Public access and mobile
For telecentres, libraries, schools, kiosks, operators and regulators. Tick what is in place — your ticks save in this browser. Updated with live captions, switch access, real-time text and WCAG 2.2.
Shared language
Based on ITU-T F.791 and the CRPD, with 2026 additions marked.
About this edition
Original work
“Towards building inclusive digital communities”: ITU toolkit and self-assessment for ICT accessibility implementation, International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Development Bureau (ITU-D). Developed by Ana María Carrillo under the guidance of Roxana Widmer-Iliescu, with inputs from Monica Duhem and Ricardo Garcia Bahamonde. © ITU.
This adaptation
Adapted, updated and redesigned by Fadila Lagadien, AI-Enabled Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Specialist, BeAccessible, Cape Town. Changes: content condensed, figures and examples updated to October 2026, South Africa spotlights added from Research ICT Africa (2024), an interactive self-assessment and accessibility controls built, area 8 (AI) and checklist items added.
This adaptation was not created by ITU. ITU is not responsible for its content or accuracy. It is shared free of charge, for non-commercial use, under the same licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Disclaimer
This toolkit gives general information, not legal advice. Results depend entirely on the answers given. Check primary sources and seek legal advice before making compliance decisions.
Key sources (checked 12 October 2026)
- WHO — Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities (2022)
- ITU — Facts and Figures 2025
- ITU — Resolution 58 (Rev. Baku, 2025)
- W3C — WCAG 2.2 and ISO/IEC 40500:2025
- AccessibleEU — EN 301 549 v4.1.1
- European Accessibility Act — Directive (EU) 2019/882
- Pacific ADA Center — ADA Title II deadline extension
- Future of Privacy Forum — AI Act timeline under the AI Omnibus
- WebAIM Million
- Global Disability Summit
- Research ICT Africa (2024) — The Use of, Access to, and Accessibility of ICTs for Persons with Disabilities in South Africa (prepared for the FCDO; lead author Mpho Moyo, inclusion advisor Fadila Lagadien). Used for the South Africa spotlights.
- South African Government — SASL Bill signing, 19 July 2023
Accessibility statement
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