Making your content accessible

Web accessibility is a legal requirement. We are required to meet a minimum WCAG 2.2AA standard.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is an internationally recognised set of recommendations for improving web accessibility. They explain how to make digital services, websites and apps accessible to everyone.

Everyone involved in creating and maintaining content should have a good understanding of why they need to meet accessibility regulations, please read the Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies - GOV.UK

People may not have a choice when using a public sector website or app, so it’s important they work for everyone. The people who need them the most are often the people who find them hardest to use.

Why accessibility is important

Making a website or mobile app accessible means making sure it can be used by as many people as possible.

Accessibility means more than just meeting technical requirements. It means making your content and design clear and simple enough so that most people can use it without needing to adapt it, while supporting those who do.

W3C have a series of videos called web accessibility perspectives that show how accessible design helps people with disabilities.

Meeting accessibility requirements

Legally public sector bodies have a legal duty to make sure online services are accessible. You can find out more about the regulations on Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies - GOV.UK

All digital services we create must:

meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a minimum
work on the most commonly used assistive technologies - including screen magnifiers, screen readers and speech recognition tools
include people with disabilities in user research
have an accessibility statement that explains how accessible the service is

The plain English version of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines simplifies the accessibility requirements.

Making your content accessible

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