Global product teams with Indian customers or delivery centres are increasingly asked to prove accessibility maturity under India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, the Government of India's Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) (and harmonised UI/UX guidance where procurement mandates it), and internationally recognised technical standards such as IS 17802(aligned with ISO/IEC 40500 / WCAG 2.1). In parallel, many of the same engineering squads must ship ADA Title II compliant experiences for US state and local agencies. This article is not legal advice; always confirm statutory interpretations with qualified Indian and US counsel.
What the RPwD framework means for public websites
The RPwD Act recognises accessibility as a right across services, facilities, and communication. For websites and apps, programme owners typically align with GIGW accessibility checkpoints and WCAG-based technical requirements so persons with disabilities can perceive, operate, and understand digital services equivalently.
- Publish an accessibility statement with feedback channels and remediation SLAs
- Provide keyboard-only and screen-reader-consumable pathways for every critical task
- Support zoom, reflow, and system text scaling without loss of function
- Offer captions, transcripts, or alternatives for time-based media used in instructions
- Document procurement acceptance criteria for vendors and third-party embeds
IS 17802 and WCAG: how teams map stories
IS 17802:2022 tracks WCAG 2.1 success criteria. Most teams mirror WCAG 2.2 AA backlog items because they satisfy both Indian technical expectations and the stricter SEBI circular baseline for financial entities — then layer Title II tests for US public programmes (WCAG 2.1 AA today). A unified defect taxonomy prevents duplicate bug churn.
ADA Title II mapping for the same product backlog
US state and local entities, public universities, and many vendors selling into them must meet DOJ ADA Title II requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA) for web and mobile services. Use the following mapping discipline:
- Single audit trail— Store issues once with tags for RPwD/GIGW, SEBI (if applicable), and Title II scope.
- Evidence parity— Pair automated scans with manual assistive-technology passes identical to procurement reviews in each geography.
- Vendor clauses— Align DPAs and SLAs with both Indian statutory language and US undue burden documentation practices where concessions are defensible.
Compliance checklist your squads can run quarterly
- Inventory every user journey (onboarding, payments, support, account recovery)
- Verify colour contrast and state styles meet WCAG AA for Hindi + English skins
- Close keyboard traps in modals (OTP, KYC, address capture)
- Provide text alternatives for charts, maps, and stock sparklines
- Localise aria labels without breaking language attributes
- Publish VPAT/ACR-style disclosures for US buyers while maintaining Indian statements
Penalties and risk
Non-compliance may expose organisations to administrative penalties, complaints pathways for persons with disabilities, procurement scrutiny, and parallel regulatory attention depending on sector. Exact amounts and processes evolve with rules and case law — involve counsel before citing specific fine figures in board materials.
Related guides
Compare India vs US schedules in our SEBI vs ADA compliance matrix and deepen SEBI circular execution in the SEBI digital accessibility guide.
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