What is accessibility?
There’s a common misconception that accessibility is just about screen readers and disabilities, but it can affect all our users at different times and in different situations. Accessibility is about making sure a website, service, mobile application or electronic document can be accessed, navigated and used by as many users as possible.
It’s important to think about the ways people might use our services in unexpected ways:
- A dyslexic user might user a screen reader even though they can see
- Someone with a motor impairment might be using a switch instead of a keyboard, or a mouse
- Users with dyslexia or users who are prone to migraines and light sensitivity might change the colours of your website because clear text on dark background works better for them
- Scrolling or motion might make your user physically sick (vestibular issues)
- A person with a low vision might be zooming to see or use a large mouse pointer. They might need to scroll horizontally as well as vertically
- Someone with no hearing loss may choose to watch a video without sound to avoid disturbing the people around them , or they may read a transcript so they can scan for keywords.
Working on a website or digital service?
Find out more about our guidelines for building accessible sites and services. These might be particularly useful if you're a designer, developer or writer, but can apply to anyone working on our sites and services.
Looking for general guidance on how to approach accessibility in your role?
Accessibility isn't just something for people building websites to worry about. It's something you should be considering in your day-to-day role too - from creating accessible internal and external documents, to running accessible meetings, presentations and events.