BeforeARIA landmark roles, button labels, and form instructions that are written for LTR layout do not automatically adapt to RTL context. The dir attribute must be set correctly at the document, section, and element level. Mixed Arabic and English content requires correct bidi (bidirectional) text handling using the appropriate Unicode bidi control characters and CSS direction properties. If these are not implemented correctly, screen readers reading Arabic content will mis-sequence the text, and form completion will be confusing for Arabic-speaking users with visual impairments.
AfterA properly implemented Arabic RTL accessibility remediation means that blind and low-vision Arabic speakers can use your site with their screen reader, that users with motor disabilities can navigate your Arabic interface by keyboard, and that Arabic form fields, error messages, and dynamic content are correctly handled by assistive technology. This is the group most likely to encounter barriers on Arabic-language sites that have not been accessibility-tested.
BeforeQatar has high smartphone penetration, and the Android device mix in the Qatari market covers a wide range of screen sizes, hardware capabilities, and browser versions. A responsive layout that passes on a high-end iPhone and a standard Android test device may have failures on mid-range Android phones, large-screen Android devices, and fold phones. Touch targets that are adequate on one density setting may be too small on another. Mobile accessibility testing that only uses premium devices misses the failures that affect the broadest portion of your actual user base.
AfterAs WCAG compliance becomes a more common requirement in Qatar government and quasi-government procurement specifications, a documented audit and retest confirmation report gives your organisation the evidence it needs to meet that requirement. A bilingual report in Arabic and English is appropriate for both domestic procurement processes and international partner due diligence.
BeforeArabic script at body size requires the same 4.5:1 contrast ratio as Latin script under WCAG 2.1 AA, but the visual complexity of Arabic letterforms means that contrast failures on Arabic text are often more apparent to users than the same failure on Latin text. Many web interfaces use light grey Arabic text on white or light backgrounds for aesthetic reasons. These choices frequently fail the WCAG contrast threshold and create a real barrier for low-vision users reading Arabic.
AfterMobile-first responsive fixes based on the actual device range in the Qatari market close the gap between what your site looks like on a test device and what it looks like on the phones your users actually carry. Improved touch targets, correct text scaling, and better layout behaviour on mid-range Android devices improve the experience for all mobile users, not only those with disabilities.
BeforeARIA live regions that announce dynamic content updates, such as form validation messages, search results, or cart updates, must be set to the correct language to be rendered correctly by Arabic screen readers. A live region with no lang attribute, or with lang set to English on an Arabic-language page, will produce incorrect or no audio output for Arabic-speaking screen reader users. This is a common failure on bilingual sites where the Arabic interface was built as a translation of the English interface without accessibility-specific review.
AfterAccessibility failures on the Arabic interface that do not exist on the English interface create an unequal experience for Arabic-speaking users. A full bilingual accessibility audit identifies these discrepancies and ensures that the standard of accessibility is consistent across both language versions of your site.
