Creating accessible environments for disabled people
Digital information
Digital accessibility relates to making digital products accessible to everyone. This includes:
- Websites
- Mobile applications
- Other tools and technologies
- Documents we publish on our web pages
- Any digital products or content we pay a third party to provide or develop
We must comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Application) Accessibility Regulations, Level A and AA success criteria.
These criteria are set out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium. They amend the criteria from time to time - we must follow the most recent version.
Our accessibility guidelines provide more information.
There are steps we can take to ensure good digital accessibility:
- Consider how digital services may negatively impact people who may be digitally excluded. This could be due to disability, or lack of hardware, accessible software, low literacy, or low income.
- Using digital as the only means of access to a service will exclude some people. Alternative means of access to a service should be available. For example, telephone access to a service alongside online access.
- Provide alternative formats of key information as a matter of routine. A digital service that's compliant with WCAG does not mean it's accessible to all. The guidelines within level A and AA conformance do not cover the needs of all disabled people. For example, WCAG do not cover the needs of neurodivergent users as much as users who are d/Deaf or who have sight loss. Going beyond minimum compliance supports good accessibility. An example of this would be providing formats such as Easy Read (for people with learning disabilities) or accessible video content.
- Consider technology that people may be using at home to access digital content. We should test any digital offer with a range of these tools. People may be using different technology to those used by employees. They may also be using tools built into devices rather than purchased tools. For example, a VoiceOver screen reader on an Apple iPhone rather than JAWS or NVDA screen readers.