Beyond Accessibility to Digital Inclusion - The Beginning of a New Era

This piece is a record of wrestling with web accessibility, public services, and a developer’s responsibility from the field.

Between law and technology, between standards and reality, I try to answer: “Are we really building for everyone?”

While working on web accessibility for years, I found myself repeatedly hearing a similar question:

“We’re certified and passed the checklist. Isn’t accessibility done now?”

When I first heard this question, I nodded briefly. Many public websites did meet WCAG 2.1 / KWCAG 2.2 standards, passed screen reader tests, and satisfied contrast requirements.

But meeting users directly in the field changed my perspective.

“We passed accessibility, but users still can’t use it.”

Once, I audited an online system for elderly learners. Technically, there were no problems.

• Keyboard accessible
• Alternative text provided
• ARIA attributes comprehensive
• Accessibility audit result: ‘compliant’

Yet when I handed the screen to actual users, I heard:

“I don’t know where to click.” “Why did this screen suddenly change?” “There’s no explanation of what this button does.”

All accessibility criteria were met. But users kept getting lost.

Another example: kiosks. Even kiosks that meet accessibility standards still pose difficulties for users unfamiliar with digital interfaces.

That’s when I first thought:

“Did we build a screen that can be accessed, or a screen that cannot be understood?”

Why disability-focused accessibility is no longer enough

Accessibility is vital—the minimum promise we must keep. But real users aren’t in the checklist.

Users that accessibility checklists miss

• Digital beginners with no disability but low familiarity
• Older adults who struggle with complex flows
• Cognitive challenges (slow reading, complex sentences)
• Situational limits (one-hand use, bright sunlight, noisy spaces)

They’re still excluded even when accessibility criteria are met.

Technical access ≠ Practical use

• Buttons exist but their purpose isn’t obvious.
• Errors don’t tell what to do next.
• Multi-step flows hide current/remaining steps.
• Repeated failure shrinks confidence.

The conclusion: Accessibility alone no longer suffices.

Web accessibility vs. Digital inclusion: What’s different?

Digital inclusion may seem like a higher concept than accessibility, but it’s actually closer to a concept where the question itself has changed.

Accessibility vs. Digital inclusion: Core differences

Specific differences

If we’re building a login screen:

From an accessibility perspective:

• Can you enter with keyboard?
• Can screen readers read it?
• Is contrast sufficient?
• Are ARIA labels appropriate?

From a digital inclusion perspective, additionally:

• Is the next step clear when you fail?
• Are error messages in easy-to-understand language?
• Are there alternative methods like social login?
• Can older users intuitively understand?
• Can you easily recover when you forget your password?

That’s why the ‘Digital Inclusion Act’ was enacted

Background of the legislation

According to the National Assembly legislative notice, the reason for enacting the Digital Inclusion Act is as follows:

The current 「Framework Act on Intelligent Informatization」 stipulates matters concerning the establishment of an intelligent informatization foundation and the promotion of related policies, such as developing core technologies and creating an industrial ecosystem to secure the world’s best level of competitiveness in the information and communication field. However, it is composed mainly of policies focused on bridging the information gap for vulnerable groups, which has limitations in systematically promoting digital inclusion policies and inducing active participation from businesses and the private sector.

Therefore, by enacting the Digital Inclusion Act to establish a legal and institutional framework so that all citizens can enjoy the benefits of digital technology and stipulating matters necessary for the effective establishment and implementation of digital inclusion policies, we aim to contribute to realizing a new digital society through improving the quality of life of individual members of society and the growth of industry and the nation.

In other words, while existing accessibility policies focused on “bridging the information gap for people with disabilities and vulnerable groups,” the Digital Inclusion Act expands the paradigm to “all citizens enjoying digital technology.”

Legal definition of digital inclusion

Article 2 of the Digital Inclusion Act defines ‘digital inclusion’ as “creating economic, social, and cultural conditions so that all citizens can evenly enjoy the benefits of intelligent information technology without discrimination or exclusion.”

This is a comprehensive concept that goes beyond simple technical accessibility to include cultivating digital literacy, guaranteeing alternative means, and preventing negative effects of technology.

Who is the Digital Inclusion Act for?

Targets and direction of the Act

The Digital Inclusion Act targets “all citizens.” It pays particular attention to the following groups:

1. Traditional digitally vulnerable groups

• People with disabilities
• Older adults
• Low-income households
• Rural residents

2. Newly digitally excluded groups

• Digitally unskilled adults
• Immigrants with limited Korean proficiency
• Cognitive vulnerable groups who have difficulty understanding complex interfaces
• Middle-aged and older adults who cannot adapt to AI technological changes

3. Situationally vulnerable groups

• People who need to use digital services in emergencies
• People temporarily unable to use their hands
• People with device or environmental constraints

Three core directions of the Act

1. Cultivating digital literacy

• Designation and operation of digital literacy centers
• Development and distribution of standardized educational materials
• Establishment of comprehensive digital literacy information system

2. Guaranteeing usage environment

• Ensuring accessibility of intelligent information services and products
• Mandating “ease of use” for unmanned information terminals such as kiosks
• Providing alternative means for non-users of digital technology

3. Promoting inclusive technology development

• Supporting digital inclusion technology development
• Fostering related industries
• Activating private sector participation

When law changes, the standards of responsibility change

The Digital Inclusion Act and AI Basic Act passed the National Assembly on December 26, 2024, and will take effect on January 22, 2026.

When I first read these laws, the first thought that came to mind was:

“Now, making technology well is no longer enough.”

These laws don’t simply say “don’t discriminate.” They ask why people are excluded, where understanding is lost, who bears the burden of automation.

And those questions are directed not only to planners but also directly to developers.

In particular, the Digital Inclusion Act now mandates “easy-to-use kiosks.” An era has arrived where we must consider not just accessibility standards but actual usability.

After accessibility, what should developers design?

While working on web accessibility, I’ve always struggled between two things:

• Development that meets standards
• Development that helps people

Digital inclusion tries to bring these two back together.

Expansion of developer roles

Developers going forward must design not just

• “Does it work?”

but also

• “Is it explained?”
• “Can you choose?”
• “Can you undo it?”
• “Can you understand it?”

This isn’t a burden— I think it’s a signal that the developer’s role is expanding.

In the era beyond accessibility, only the questions have changed

Accessibility is still important. Digital inclusion doesn’t replace accessibility but is a concept that includes and expands accessibility.

But now we must go one step further.

Is this service truly for everyone?

Before this question, we must redesign.

📌 The questions continue

This article is not meant to present answers. Instead, it’s a record organizing the questions we must ask now.

In the next article, we’ll examine these questions more specifically through the actual system of the Digital Inclusion Act.

In the era after accessibility, what must we prepare?