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Accessibility

Ensuring that digital products, platforms, services, and infrastructure are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all people

Accessibility means designing and maintaining services that people can perceive, navigate, and understand using a wide range of assistive technologies, languages, devices, and interaction methods. It means ensuring that websites, documents, audio, video, forms, and core service functions remain usable without requiring perfect vision, hearing, dexterity, literacy, concentration, bandwidth, equipment, confidence, or technical familiarity. Accessibility recognises that barriers to participation may be physical, sensory, cognitive, linguistic, technological, economic, geographic, or emotional.

We believe that public services should not become inaccessible because a person is neurodiverse, anxious, overwhelmed, financially constrained, using older technology, living in a low-connectivity environment, or unfamiliar with complex digital systems.

Accessibility requires public-serving entities to design digital systems inclusively from the outset, to test them with real people and assistive technologies, and to continuously improve them as they identify any barriers to access. They should publish clear accessibility information, provide effective alternate routes to achieving tasks, and involve people in evaluating whether systems work in practice, not merely whether they meet technical requirements.

The objective of Accessibility is not only to comply with standards – it is to enable equal access to services, information, opportunities, and participation.

Example requirements (illustrative)

These example requirements are grounded in established international standards, regulations, and laws, which are listed in full in the section below.

  • All public-facing websites and digital services meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility requirements at minimum.

  • Essential public services remain accessible across different browsers, devices, operating systems, networks, and assistive technologies.

  • All images, icons, audio, and video content include appropriate alternative text, captions, or transcripts.

  • Documents, forms, PDFs, and downloadable materials are designed and tested for accessibility before publication.

  • Accessibility statement is published, describing current accessibility status, known limitations, and contact route for reporting barriers.

  • Accessibility testing is carried out using both automated tools and testing with people with disabilities.

Standards, regulations, and laws informing this work

Organisations working in this area

Related standards: Responsibility to the Future Interoperability