Standards & Best Practices
Accessibility requirements
Accessibility requirements
Legal requirements
All public-facing government services must meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. This is a legal requirement under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018.
What you need to do
- Test with automated tools - use axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse. These catch around 30% of issues.
- Test manually - keyboard navigation, screen reader testing (NVDA, VoiceOver), zoom to 400%.
- Test with users - include disabled users in your research.
- Publish an accessibility statement - required by law. Use the GOV.UK template.
Common issues
- Missing alt text on images
- Poor colour contrast (use GOV.UK Design System colours)
- Forms without proper labels
- Missing skip links
- Focus not visible on interactive elements
GOV.UK Design System
Using the GOV.UK Design System and Frontend gives you a strong accessibility baseline. The components have been extensively tested with assistive technologies.
Resources
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps
- https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/
- </products/moj-design-system/system>
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