by Richard Morton

1. Richard Morton
Senior Accessibility Specialist
Government Digital Service
@accessibleweb
Web Accessibility for Leaders - Jisc

2. New accessibility
regulations

4. Compliance

5. GDSGDS
Public sector bodies must make
their websites and mobile apps more
accessible by making them:
● Perceivable
● Operable
● Understandable
● Robust

6. GDS

7. GDS
Public sector bodies will need to:
● Evaluate the accessibility of their
websites and apps
● Fix issues
○ Unless disproportionate burden
○ Unless content is exempt
● Publish an accessibility statement
GDS

8. GDSGDS
Regulations came into force on 23 September 2018
New websites compliant by 23 September 2019
Existing websites compliant by 23 September 2020
Mobile apps compliant by 23 June 2021
Timeline

9. Monitoring

10. GDSGDS
GDS will be the monitoring body

11. GDSGDS
Multiple site samples and tested each
year

12. GDSGDS
Many simplex tests - automated testing
plus some manual checks

13. GDSGDS
Some detailed tests - full WCAG 2.1
audit on a sample of pages for each site

14. Enforcement

15. GDS
Equality and Human Right Commission
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
GDS

16. Risks

17. GDSGDS
Being in breach of the law - reputation

18. GDSGDS
Students, Staff, Funders can’t access
things - may lose some

19. GDS
Equality Act 2010
We have a legal obligation to provide equal
access to people with disabilities
GDS

20. Guidance and
resources

29. Thanks
Richard Morton
@accessibleweb