Website Accessibility and the Law in the UK

Accessibility is often treated as a nice-to-have, something to get to once everything else is done. In reality it touches the law, your reach, and your reputation — and most of the work is far simpler than people fear.

Here is a practical look at where UK law sits, who needs to pay attention, and the changes that make the biggest difference.

Where the law stands

The Equality Act 2010 requires businesses not to discriminate against disabled people, and that extends to the services you offer online. In practice, a website that locks out people who use screen readers or cannot use a mouse may fall short of that duty.

Public sector bodies have stricter, specific accessibility regulations to meet. For most private businesses the obligation is broader, but the safe and sensible benchmark everyone aims for is the same recognised standard: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

What actually helps

Good accessibility starts with the basics. Use proper headings so screen readers can navigate, add descriptive alt text to images, ensure text has enough contrast against its background, and make sure everything works with a keyboard alone.

Forms need clear labels, links should make sense out of context, and videos benefit from captions. None of this requires a separate accessible version of your site — it is about building the one site well so everybody can use it.

The wider payoff

Accessibility overlaps heavily with good design and good SEO. Clear structure, readable text, and descriptive content help search engines understand your site just as they help assistive technology, so the work pays off in more than one way.

It also widens your audience. A meaningful share of the population has some form of impairment, and an inaccessible site simply turns those potential customers away. Building it in from the start costs little; bolting it on later costs far more.