Non-Western Perspectives on Web Inclusivity: A Study of Accessibility Practices in the Global South

2025-01-28

AI Summary

This study addresses the critical lack of web accessibility in mobile networks across the Global South. Method: We conducted the first large-scale accessibility assessment of 100,000 mobile websites across ten countries, employing an automated toolchain (Axe and WAVE) augmented by expert manual validation and targeted analysis of ARIA attributes and alt text to evaluate conformance with WCAG 2.1. Contribution/Results: Only 40% of sites met essential accessibility criteria; missing alt text and inadequate ARIA descriptions were the primary causes of screen reader failure. Regulatory stringency correlated significantly with higher compliance rates, and persons with visual impairments were disproportionately affected. The study uncovers regionally heterogeneous mechanisms underlying accessibility failures and proposes a lightweight, bandwidth-efficient, mobile-first accessibility framework—grounded in empirical evidence—to advance digital inclusion in the Global South.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: AI for Accessibility
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Computer Vision: Bias, Fairness & Privacy

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web performance, measurement, and characterization
• Responsible Web: Algorithmic accountability and transparency on the web
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics

Abstract

The Global South faces unique challenges in achieving digital inclusion due to a heavy reliance on mobile devices for internet access and the prevalence of slow or unreliable networks. While numerous studies have investigated web accessibility within specific sectors such as education, healthcare, and government services, these efforts have been largely constrained to individual countries or narrow contexts, leaving a critical gap in cross-regional, large-scale analysis. This paper addresses this gap by conducting the first large-scale comparative study of mobile web accessibility across the Global South. In this work, we evaluate 100,000 websites from 10 countries in the Global South to provide a comprehensive understanding of accessibility practices in these regions. Our findings reveal that websites from countries with strict accessibility regulations and enforcement tend to adhere better to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) guidelines. However, accessibility violations impact different disability groups in varying ways. Blind and low-vision individuals in the Global South are disproportionately affected, as only 40% of the evaluated websites meet critical accessibility guidelines. This significant shortfall is largely due to developers frequently neglecting to implement valid alt text for images and ARIA descriptions, which are essential specification mechanisms in the HTML standard for the effective operation of screen readers.

Problem

• Digital Divide
• Accessibility
• Global South

Innovation

• Global South
• Web Accessibility
• Large-scale Comparative Study