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

TL;DR

This study conducts the first large-scale cross-national analysis of mobile web accessibility in the Global South by auditing 100,000 popular websites across 10 countries with Google Lighthouse. It demonstrates substantial regional disparities in WCAG 2.2 adherence, with Bangladesh and Vietnam showing higher violation rates and regulatory contexts influencing compliance. Importantly, the work reveals disability-specific impacts, notably severe accessibility gaps for blind users despite better performance for mobility and low-vision users in some countries. The findings underscore the need for stronger governance, developer training, and inclusive design practices to advance digital equity in rapidly growing mobile internet ecosystems.

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.

Figures (4)

• Figure 1: Distribution of accessibility violations across countries.
• Figure 2: Number of different accessibility issues identified across countries.
• Figure 3: Distribution of mobile accessibility violations for Bangladesh, Brazil, India, and Vietnam.
• Figure 4: Distribution of critical accessibility violations for users with mobility impairments across countries.