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Accessibility and the law
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 states that public sector websites published before 23 September 2018 must be compliant with accessibility regulations by 23 September 2020.
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- meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) to level AA
- make websites and apps perceivable, operable, understandable and robust (POUR)
- publish an accessibility statement
Government Digital Service guidelines
GDS has published a detailed summary of the legislation and its implications for public sector bodies - Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies.
What this means is that PHE must offer an accessible option when publishing content, or we are breaking the law and breaching government and GDS guidelines. What used to be advisory, has now become compulsory. This is particularly the case for public sector bodies, so Public Health England is under scrutiny to ensure that we are compliant.
The Four Principles of Accessibility
All our digital content must be:
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The acronym for these four principles is POUR.
Web Content Accessibility (WCAG 2.1) guidelines
The GDS guidelines are themselves based on the internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). Key principles include:
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If we don't make the web pages and the documents we publish accessible, we are breaking the law.
Why accessible web content is better for users
Even if it hadn't become law, all research suggests that in the long run users prefer to use accessible websites. This applies to all users, not just people with disabilities. Accessible websites and documents are:
- more straightforward to navigate
- compatible with a wider range of software programs, for example, not just limited to Microsoft Office
- easy to read on multiple devices
- easier to scan and access the relevant information
Resources
1. The benchmark for web accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. They provide detailed guidelines and an at-a-glance overview, among a host of other resources.
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