Making a website or mobile app accessible means making sure it can be used by as many people as possible. This includes those with:
- impaired vision
- motor difficulties
- cognitive impairments or learning disabilities
- deafness or impaired hearing
In the UK, 1 in 5 people have a disability.Why it’s importantPeople 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. Accessible websites are better for everyone. For example, they are faster and easier to use, and appear higher in search engines. You may also be breaking the law if your public sector website or app doesn’t meet accessibility standards. Most public sector websites do not currently meet accessibility standards. For example, a recent study found that
4 in 10 local councils’ homepages failed basic tests for accessibility. Common accessibility problems include websites that can’t be navigated using a keyboard, inaccessible PDF forms that can’t be read out on screen readers, and poor colour contrast that makes text difficult to read, especially for visually impaired people.What you need to doNew regulations came into force for public sector bodies on 23 September 2018. They say you must make your public sector website or mobile app more accessible by making it ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. You can do this by meeting the accessibility standards. Your website or app will meet the new public sector requirement to be more accessible if it complies with the international WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard.
New websites must meet the standards by 23 September 2019. We recommend that you make sure your new website or app meets the standards by:
For the complete guide to the new accessibility requirements for public sector websites visit
gov.uk
