Why web accessibility is important

Making our website 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

Accessibility is not just about permanent or temporary disabilities though. It's making sure people can access services no matter where they are, their level of internet access or what device they use.

For example, people should still be able to access a service when on a train using a mobile device. In this scenario, we need to make sure buttons and links are big enough as the movement of the train can make it difficult to click and operate small buttons on a handheld device. We also need to consider how quickly the website loads due to limited internet connection. Images can make pages load slowly so we want to avoid using them. The brightness of the sun through the train window can also make screens more difficult to see, so text needs to be clear so the size, font and colours all need to be reviewed too.

Accessibility means making our services as inclusive as possible.

Accessibility regulations

New requirements came into force for all public sector bodies on 23 September 2018. These regulations need us to meet the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA (opens new window) accessibility standards as well as publishing an accessibility statement. The Government Digital Service (GDS) monitors our compliance with these guidelines.

These new regulations build on our existing obligations to people who have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland). These acts require all UK service providers to consider 'reasonable adjustments' for disabled people.