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The internet is changing and becoming more accessible
The internet is increasingly at the centre of our public life.
Web accessibility is all about making sure that digital services are suitable for all users, including those with disabilities or other special requirements.
As the internet has become increasingly central to our public life - with Information, banking, shopping and government public sector services are all delivered online .Due to the rapid growth of online platforms, if websites are not accessible for - it's important that people with disabilities , they are excluded from public life.
The UK government has made a commitment that GOV.UK will be a website that is accessible for all users.
This includes users with disabilities, but also any user who has a special requirement.
can use these websites, or we risk excluding them and discriminating against them (even if it is unintentional).
In recent years, GOV.UK has been adapted to make it more accessible for all users, and government departments are expected to make sure that the documents and publications we are publishing are in line with the Digital Service Standard.
This goes beyond making sure that pages can be used by people with disabilities - it includes other considerations, such as making sure that all documents are published in open formats, so that you don't need to own a copy of Microsoft Office to access the informationFor example, users who do not use Microsoft Office and use a different word processing software.
If we don't make documents accessible, we are breaking the law
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Accessibility makes websites and documents better for everyone, but there is also a legal aspect that we all need to be aware of.
Because accessibility is becoming such an important issue, organisations and individuals will make their voices heard if a website is publishing information that is inaccessible. There have been numerous cases of lawsuits being filed against companies in the UK and US in the last two years.
As a public sector body, Public Health England is under particular scrutiny as we are bound to comply with the internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which set out guidelines for pages and publications, including:
- don't rely on colour alone to communication information
- provide alternatives to audio and visual content
- provide clear navigation
- ensure documents are clear and simple
- design documents to work on multiple devices
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states states:
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Countries are to promote access to information by providing information intended for the general public in accessible formats and technologies, by facilitating the use of Braille, sign language and other forms of communication and by encouraging the media and Internet providers to make on-line information available in accessible formats (Article 21). |
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What this means is that we must offer an accessible option when publishing content, or we are breaking the law and breaching guidelines. What used to be advisory, has now become compulsory.
This means that ways of designing and publishing documents that used to be acceptable, now need to be changed. It takes time and effort to produce effective alternatives, but this is important if we are to stay within the law and uphold the reputation of PHEPublic sector bodies are under increasing scrutiny from organisations and individuals campaigning for an accessible web.There is a real reputational and legal risk for PHE if the guidelines are not followed.
Accessible websites are ultimately better for users
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While there is a legal requirement for us to publish in accessible formats - there are also benefits for all users of PHE digital services.
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