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At Public Health England, we need to make changes to ensure our publications are accessible. For example, by publishing HTML pages instead of PDF documents.
If we
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don't make documents accessible,
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Public Health England has been working to modernise publications and guidance, so that they meet these accessibility standards.
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The UK Government has committed to making GOV.UK accessible, and Public Health England must ensure that all publications and guidance meets those accessibility standards.
Legal requirements and reputational risk
Accessibility is increasingly becoming a legal issue, as organisations and individuals are making their voices heard to ensure that inaccessible websites are updated and modernised.
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we are breaking the law
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had has made it illegal for public bodies to publish inaccessible publications.
Public Health England could suffer real reputational damage if we publish inaccessible content unlawfully - we all have a commitment to ensure we stay within the legal guidelines.
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In 2019 there have been several cases where public and private sector bodies were sued for breaching accessibility guidelines. GOV.UK is under a great deal of scrutiny.
If we publish content that is not accessible, we will breach the law and run the risk of legal action and reputational damage.
It's a common misconception that certain publications do not need to be made accessible. Here are a few of the common arguments:
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