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Essential role and expanding scope of the Web. The World Wide Web is key to full participation in society, and a powerful resource for all. The Web is an essential means of accessing information, news... Essential role and expanding scope of the Web. The World Wide Web is key to full participation in society, and a powerful resource for all. The Web is an essential means of accessing information, news, education, employment, commerce, health care, government services, civic participation, social networking, entertainment, and more. When accessible to people with disabilities, the Web can unlock access to information and interactions that previously were difficult or impossible because of barriers in the built environment, in printed media, in audio and visual information, and in social interactions. More recently, the Web has taken on an expanded scope, as old and new technologies converge onto the Web as a central infrastructure for reaching billions of users. Most new digital technologies have Web interfaces, whether as a primary or secondary interface. Because of the accessible architecture that has been or that W3C has developed for the Web, one can often ensure that the Web interface is more accessible than other interfaces. Web standards work therefore now encompasses not only the desktop Web, but standards that enable mobile applications, digital publishing, payments, online learning, television and entertainment, Web/Internet of things, automotive, smart cities, augmented and virtual reality, and more. When developers are pushing to get these new technologies out the door, W3C’s role is key in ensuring that accessibility issues are addressed. Critical need for accessibility. It critical that the Web and the innovative technologies built upon it are inclusive of the millions of people in the United States with disabilities, and the billion people with significant disabilities worldwide. Many disabilities can affect access to, and benefit from, the Web and the technologies built upon it, and can benefit from the use of these technologies. Accessibility of the Web can affect people with auditory, cognitive, physical, neurological, and visual disabilities, and people with combinations of these disabilities. Accessibility is likewise important to those with accessibility needs due to aging. An accessible Web also benefits people who do not have disabilities but who are experiencing situational barriers such as small screens, low bandwidth, low literacy levels, and language differences. Impact of accessibility barriers. The complexity and rapid evolution of Web technologies, sometimes still without regard to accessibility, means that people with disabilities frequently encounter barriers when trying to participate in daily activities. Barriers can be simple yet pervasive, for instance lack of alternative text for images, captions for audio, and descriptions for video; or can include more complex barriers such as insufficient programmatic access to dynamic and interactive information generated through content management systems, and lack of interoperability between mainstream browsers or authoring tools on the one hand, and assistive technologies used by some people with disabilities on the other hand. Given the role of the Web in so many life activities, the impact of these barriers on the lives of people with disabilities can be immense. Therefore there is an ongoing need for updated technical and educational support materials that project managers and Web designers and developers can use to address existing and new barriers across the Web, including in the expanded scope of the Web described above. W3C WAI’s expertise in building accessibility solutions. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, an expert staff, and the public work together to develop the standards upon which the Web and an increasing number of technologies are based. Founded by Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, and led by CEO Jeffrey Jaffe, W3C is the international standards body for the Web. W3C has over 400 Member organizations worldwide. W3C uses an open, transparent, and robust standards development process, with opportunities for accessibility review of standards throughout all stages of development. W3C has hosted the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) since 1997. W3C and WAI are both headquartered at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). Judy Brewer, WAI Director, directs a coordinated set of accessibility activities uniquely feasible within W3C. This includes coordinating accessibility activities among the three other W3C Hosts, in Europe, Japan, and China. This coordinated accessibility program facilitates an international perspective on W3C standards development, international uptake of W3C standards, and coordinated international technical and educational work on accessibility.