Why Compliance Depends on Freedom
The Core Premise: You cannot guarantee government accessibility obligations (WCAG / Section 508 / EN 301 549) without the sovereignty provided by Free Software. If you cannot inspect and fix the tool, your compliance is merely a vendor's promise.
| Freedom Layer | The Sovereign Right | The Accessibility Check ("The Bug") |
|---|---|---|
|
Freedom 0 The Foundation |
The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose. |
Constraint Check:
Does the EULA or DRM prevent the use of specialized screen readers, overlays, or text-to-speech tools?
If yes, the software is not sovereign and inherently excludes users.
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|
Freedom 1 Inspection |
The freedom to study how the program works and change it. |
Verification Check:
Can we view the source code to verify ARIA labels, semantic HTML, and focus states are correct?
Without this, "WCAG Compliant" is just a marketing claim you cannot audit.
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Freedom 2 Distribution |
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others. |
Scale Check:
Once we fix an accessibility bug, can we legally share that accessible version with other agencies or departments?
Proprietary licenses often force every agency to pay to fix the same barrier.
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Freedom 3 Remediation |
The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. |
Action Check:
When a user reports a barrier, do we have the power to fix it immediately (upstream), or must we wait for a vendor roadmap?
Rights without remedies are theoretical. Freedom 3 turns "feedback" into "solutions."
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