You're reading an article from the Accessibility section on PHE's web content knowledge base.
To browse more useful articles, visit our home page.
Why pages need to be made accessible
The internet is increasingly at the heart of our public life. More and more information and services are now delivered online.
Due to this rapid growth and shift of services to online platforms, accessibility has grown in importance.
Accessibility means that we design and publish content for the web, in a way that allows everyone (including but not limited to people with disabilities) to understand and read that content.
If we do not make pages accessible, it means that users who have access requirements are actively excluded and discriminated against.
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.
There are examples in the press of companies who have been sued for breaching accessibility guidelines - this includes Apple in the United States, and low-cost airlines and cruise providers in the UK.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had 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.
There are no exceptions
It's a common misconception that certain publications do not need to be made accessible. Here are a few of the common arguments:
This document only has a niche audience of scientists and researchers - they don't have accessibility requirements.
We've always published this information in this format - and we've always had really positive feedback.
There's a need to publish in an inaccessible format in order to represent the information clearly, or in a visually appealing way