Revealing Global Government Health Website Accessibility Errors During COVID-19 and the Necessity of Digital Equity

Abstract

Background: Many government websites and mobile content are inaccessible for people with vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted these disparities when health authority website information, critical in providing resources for curbing the spread of the virus, remained inaccessible for disabled populations. Methods: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide comparatively universally accepted guidelines for website accessibility. We utilized these parameters to examine the number of countries with or without accessible health authority websites. Findings:The resulting data indicate a dearth of countries with websites accessible for persons with disabilities. Fewer than 5% of all countries had health authority websites fully accessible according to the WCAG. Interpretation: Methods of information dissemination must take into consideration individuals with disabilities, particularly in times of global health crises. Government health websites can be considered the most trustworthy sources of preventative healthcare information and therefore must be accessible to all, regardless of ability. Nations should seek to improve website compliance with the WCAG.Funding Statement: The authors report no funding sources. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no other competing interests to declare.