The Legal Framework of Accessibility and Its Limits
In Georgia, "EdTech accessibility compliance" is not a separately regulated field: there is no special educational standard for the accessibility of digital products. ADA and WCAG are non-Georgian frameworks and cannot be transplanted directly. The Georgian page is carried by the inclusiveness norms of the Law on General Education: by the definition of Article 2, inclusive education is an equally accessible educational process within which education is ensured for every pupil, taking into account individual educational needs and capability.
This definition is the legal footing by which the accessibility of an EdTech product should be assessed: technology is an instrument of inclusive education, and its compliance is measured by the equal participation it secures for every pupil.
The State Guarantee of Accessibility and the Increased Voucher
Under Article 7 of the law, the state ensures the right of every pupil — including a pupil with special educational needs — to receive general education as close as possible to his place of residence, in the state or native language. Where this right cannot be exercised through the standard voucher, the state provides such pupils with an increased voucher and/or additional funding within a relevant targeted programme approved by the ministry.
Paragraph 3 of Article 7 also determines the directions of this spending: the openness of general education and its equal accessibility for everyone throughout life; the introduction of inclusive and multilingual education; the improvement of the school’s material-technical, programme and human resources; appropriate remuneration for staff; a safe environment; and the uninterrupted conduct of the study process — especially in village and highland schools. Under paragraph 4 of the same article the state also ensures general education in penitentiary institutions. The technological component of accessibility is made possible precisely through this funding.
Adapted Curricula
Under paragraph 3 of Article 9, for a pupil with special educational needs an alternative curriculum, an individual curriculum based on the national curriculum, or an extended curriculum is used, in accordance with which his teaching, social adaptation and integration into social life are carried out.
By the same norm, a pupil of a public school with special educational needs must, where necessary, be provided with the relevant human resource and programmes or services, whose funding is ensured by the state. In the context of an EdTech product this means that the digital solution must fit precisely these curricula.
Distance Learning and the Technological Environment
Article 2 defines distance learning as a study process, or a part of one, based on information and communication technologies, which does not require the simultaneous presence of the pupil and the institution’s personnel; its implementation requires appropriate planning of the curriculum and relevant methods. For an EdTech product this definition is central: the environment serving distance learning must be accessible to every pupil.
The curricula defined in Article 2 differ in purpose: the individual curriculum is created by adapting the national curriculum to the pupil’s special educational needs; the alternative curriculum is intended for pupils with severe or profound intellectual or multiple disorders, including multiple sensory disorders; and the extended curriculum is oriented towards strengthening the specific competences of pupils with sensory disorders.
Each of these formats requires different technological support — in cases of sensory disorders the question of accessibility is resolved directly through technical parameters — and it is here that the EdTech product enters the legal framework of inclusive education.
Practical Criteria for Assessing Compliance
Since a separate accessibility standard does not exist, the compliance of an EdTech product is assessed against three footholds of the Georgian law: accessibility ensured for every pupil, taking into account individual educational needs; the product serving the adapted curricula and cooperating with the state-funded human resource; and support of the educational process in the native or state language.
The assessment should also take into account the structure of the stages: under Article 2 the primary stage lasts 6 years (grades I-VI), the basic stage 3 years (grades VII-IX), and the secondary stage 2 years (grades X-XI) with one optional year (grade XII); full general education covers at least 11 and no more than 12 years. Article 9 adds the requirement of fair assessment: academic assessment must not be conditioned by discipline — a rule that applies directly to assessment instruments built into learning platforms. General education may also be received through externat studies, where the pupil overcomes the achievement level defined by the national curriculum.
International technical standards are an auxiliary instrument in this assessment, not a legal requirement — a distinction both parties should note when contracting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently raised about EdTech accessibility.
Does a special EdTech accessibility standard exist in Georgia?
No. A separate standard for digital educational products does not exist; compliance is assessed under the norms of inclusive education, while ADA and WCAG are non-Georgian, auxiliary frameworks.
What is inclusive education under the law?
An equally accessible educational process where education is ensured for every pupil, taking into account individual needs and capability.
How is accessibility funded?
Through the increased voucher and/or additional funding, within the ministry’s targeted programmes; the state also funds the SEN pupil’s human resource and services.
Which curricula are used for a SEN pupil?
Alternative, individual and extended curricula — depending on the nature of the disorder.
What is distance learning and what does it demand of technology?
A study process, or part of one, based on information and communication technologies, which does not require the simultaneous presence of the pupil and the institution’s personnel; the law requires appropriate planning of the curriculum and relevant methods.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team will assess an EdTech product against the Georgian norms of inclusive education, help formulate contract terms with an educational institution and prepare an accessibility compliance description grounded in the statutory framework.
Contact us on Legal.ge — properly built compliance documentation protects both the manufacturer and the school.