This SEBI accessibility audit and WCAG 2.1 AA remediation covered the website of the Securities and Exchange Board of India — the national regulator of India’s securities markets, and a primary source of regulations, filings and investor information.

A regulator’s site is dense with documents, circulars, forms and investor tools that the public and the industry must be able to read and use. Many users rely on a screen reader or a keyboard, so the accessibility of those documents and tools decides whether every investor and citizen can access the market’s rules and protections.

Why accessibility is essential for a government regulator

In India, accessibility of public information and services is required under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites point to WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the conformance standard. For a market regulator the stakes are high: circulars and filings locked in untagged PDFs, or an investor-grievance form a screen-reader user cannot complete, would shut citizens out of essential protections.

Scope and standard

Our SEBI accessibility audit assessed the site against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, mapped to the RPwD Act and GIGW, across the journeys that matter for a regulator: regulations and circulars, filings and reports, the investor education and grievance areas, downloadable documents and PDFs, forms, and site search and navigation.

How we ran the SEBI accessibility audit

• Screen-reader testing with JAWS and NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android
• Automated audits with Deque axe, Google Lighthouse and WAVE
• Keyboard-only operation of every step, with attention to focus order and a clearly visible focus indicator
• Colour-contrast analysis, plus 400% zoom and reflow testing for low-vision users

What accessibility means on each part of the site

Because SEBI is a public-sector site that informs and serves residents, our SEBI accessibility audit focused on the parts people depend on:

• Information and programme pages need a clear heading structure and readable text, so a screen-reader user can find services without relying on visual layout.
• Forms and applications need programmatic labels, clear instructions and announced errors, so applying for a service or permit never depends on sight or a mouse.
• Documents and PDFs need to be tagged and readable, since so much public information is delivered as downloads.
• Search, navigation and any maps need operable controls and results in text, not by map alone.
• All content needs sufficient colour contrast, visible focus and clean reflow at 400% zoom for low-vision residents.

Services we provided for this client

Proven SEBI compliance experience

Below are SEBI-registered investment advisers and financial firms whose websites I have audited and remediated for WCAG 2.2 AA and GIGW 3.0 compliance:

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