Standards & Best Practices
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 ~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
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