The first standards relating to Web Accessibility was published by the W3C in 1999. This become recognised as the standard to follow in order to make a website accessible to users with various disabilities. More information about the WCAG 1.0 can be found on the WCAG 1.0 page.
Since the WCAG 1.0 was published many companies have used this standard to make their websites accessible to blind and visually impaired users. However technology has now moved on and browser and screen reader support for Web Accessibility has greatly improved since the WCAG 1.0 standard was published. Therefore some of the guidelines that make up the WCAG 1.0 standard are now longer applicable.
As a result the W3C are now in the process of creating the WCAG 2.0 standard, which will eventually succeed the WCAG 1.0 as the recognised standard to follow for making a website accessible. However this standard is currently only at the working draft stage and therefore is not yet an official document and as a result is not yet widely used. More information can be found on the WCAG 2.0 page.
In recent years governments around the world have become increasingly aware of the need for legislation and standards relating to Web Accessibility. As a result many countries now have legislation in place relating to Web Accessibility. Many countries have included it as part of an existing Disability Discrimination Act, or other legislation relating to disability discrimination.
Governments around the world have also created there own standards for making websites accessible which websites in that country are expected to meet in order to meet the legislation in that country. Many of these standards are loosely based on the WCAG 1.0 standard. The individual countries page contains more information about the legislation and standards that are in place in various countries around the world.
Governments are not alone in creating their own standards relating to Web Accessibility. Many major IT companies have also created their own standards relating to Web Accessibility for all disabilities. Similarly to the government standards many of these are loosely based on the WCAG 1.0 standard. The company standards page contains additional information about some of the company standard that exist. The page also outlines some of the benefits that a company can gain from creating their own Web Accessibility standard.
As well as standards many companies have also created a Web Accessibility Policy. Similarly to a Web Accessibility standard, a company can benefit from having a Web Accessibility Policy. See the Web Accessibility Policy page for more information.