Website Accessibility
A-2-Z Internet Accessibility and Marketing
Accessibility for public bodies
A-2-Z Internet Accessibility and Marketing
CONTACT US FOR FREE SAMPLE ACCESSIBILITY CHECK
In order for the Internet to be available for use by everyone, it must be accessible to everyone. Persons who have impaired hearing, vision, cognition, or mobility often have a greater need for services offered on the Internet. But too often, there are imitations that prevent persons with disabilities from taking full advantage of all that the Internet has to offer. With this in mind, the government established a timeline for correcting the problem. By 23 September 2020, public sector websites had to be compliant with regulations designed to provide accessibility for users with disabilities; by 23 June 2021, apps were required to meet those regulations.
What Public Sector Bodies Are Affected By These Regulations:
- Central and local government organizations
- Certain charities
- Some non-governmental organizations that are financed by public funding, provide services essential to the public, or are designed to serve persons with disabilities
Government Digital Service Checklist
The Government Digital Service has established four criteria that local authorities should consider in order to confirm that their online public services are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities impairing their vision, hearing, mobility, and cognitive abilities.
- Understand the ways that these regulations impact your organization.
- Determine how your websites or apps can be evaluated for accessibility issues.
- Plan to fix those accessibility issues that were revealed.
- Publish your organization’s accessibility statement.
How A-2-Z Accessibility And Marketing Can Help
Identifying and resolving accessibility problems in order to meet the government website accessibility standards requires the services of experts who are experienced in recognizing the obstacles which a website or app can present to a person who has a disability. While statistics show that one in five people in the United Kingdom is dealing with a long-term disability or impairment, there are vastly more who are suffering from a temporary condition which impedes their use of the Internet.
A-2-Z Accessibility and Marketing’s expert web accessibility consultants can identify the problems that prevent users with disabilities from accessing your site. Those are the problems that are preventing your organization from complying with the government standards.
A-2-Z offers:
- An impressive portfolio of more than 1,000 projects completed to the satisfaction of our partners in various sectors including government, academia, and commerce.
- An experienced web accessibility team.
- Complete assistance with the accessibility process.
Complying with accessibility isn’t just a priority in the UK, or the EU, or Israel or the United States; it’s a priority in every part of the world where governments strive to ensure that all their citizens have equal opportunity access to the Internet. With complete accessibility, the vast resources of the Internet open the doors of education, commerce, expression, and entertainment. There is no field of human endeavor that has been left unchanged by the World Wide Web. For that reason, no one should be denied access to it.
As Web Accessibility Specialists (WAS), the A-2-Z professionals design, develop, implement, evaluate and manage the accessibility of web-based services, content, and projects, with a contextual understanding of how end-users are impacted.
According to the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, public sector websites and apps must be a) perceivable; b) operable; c) understandable; and d) robust. Your website needs to include a current accessibility statement.
How To Meet The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations:
- Comply with the international WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, or determine valid legal reasons for failing to meet them
- Publish an accessibility statement outlining the accessibility of your website or mobile app
A-2-Z will evaluate whether your website or mobile app accessibility is currently in compliance with WCAG 2.1. We will identify problem areas that exist and create a plan to address these issues.
Criteria To Consider When Making Your Accessibility Assessment:
- The size and resources of your organization
- Do you offer services for people who are likely to have a disabling condition?
- The impact that making your website and apps accessible would have on your organization
- The potential benefits to people with disabilities
The Equality Act 2010 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (in Northern Ireland) stipulate that a reasonable effort to make reasonable adjustments for persons with disabilities must be made.
The end result — an accessible public website — will conform to government regulations and affirm your organization’s desire to serve the needs of persons with disabilities.
