Web regulations and digital accessibility

Guidance for our third-party providers or public bodies in our community

The Web Accessibility Regulations are an extension of the Equality Act 2010 that all public bodies need to adhere to.

These website regulations will apply to all of our local government organisations, including the smaller parish and town councils who have a website because they are a public body representing the first tier of local government in Worcestershire.

The web accessibility regulations may seem overwhelming, but this page can guide you through.

Introduction to the web accessibility regulations and SCULPT for accessibility

The web regulations ensure that online information from public bodies can be accessed and used by everyone, including those with additional needs or those who use a screen reader.

There are four steps you need to follow

Step one

Check or audit your website

You need to do a full audit of your website or mobile app against the technical specifications in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

There are several ways you can do this

use tools to conduct a basic accessibility check
pay a third party to do a detailed audit for you

Step two

Plan to fix the issues

Using your audit you will need to make an action plan or roadmap to fix any accessibility issues you find.

It might not be possible to meet all of the WCAG specifications straight away. You may even need to plan and budget for technical or specialist help.

Stage one and two will help you write your accessibility statement in step three

Step three

Publish your accessibility statement

Based on step one checking and step two fixing, you need to publish what is and isn't accessible on your website and provide details of when you intend to fix it.

The government provide a template website accessibility statement to help you

Step four

All new content needs to be accessible

From 23 September 2020 all new features and content on your website will need to be created and developed in an accessible way.

This also includes the accessibility of all documents you upload.

The SCULPT for Accessibility guidance can help you with documents

Need some extra help and information?

The Government Digital Service provided resources and webinars on accessibility awareness day 2020 to help you.

The six webinars towards the bottom of the page are a great way to get up to speed with the regulations.

Digital accessibility information for our third-party providers of content

Any third party or contractor that creates content for us must make sure that their product or content is fully accessible. Find out more information on third party providers.

Help with ongoing website monitoring

These free browser extensions will help you monitor your website and highlight any issues with the web page content.

WAVE browser extension

Beyond the free tools there are tools or companies you can pay for that can monitor your website and help you address any issues raised.

More government guidance

The government provides full guidance and information on making your websites accessible