Making our website accessible means making sure it can be used by as many people as possible. Often, people don’t have a choice when using our website so we need to make sure it works for everyone.
Accessibility regulations came into force on 23 September 2023. The regulations are the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
We have to:
- meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 accessibility standard
- publish an accessibility statement explaining how accessible the website is
All websites the Council maintains need to be accessible.
At least 1 in 5 people in the UK have a long term illness, impairment or disability. More will have a temporary disability.
This includes those with
- impaired vision
- motor difficulties
- cognitive impairments or learning disabilities
- deafness or impaired hearing
Accessibility means making our content and design clear and simple enough that most people can use it without needing to adapt it while supporting those who do need to adapt.
For example, someone with impaired vision might use a screen reader (software that helps someone navigate a website and reads out the content), braille display or screen magnifier. Someone with motor difficulties might use a special mouse, speech recognition software or on screen keyboard emulator.
It's not just about making content inclusive for people with disabilities and impairments. Accessible websites are faster, easier to use and work better for everyone.
Making content accessible
There are some things you can do to make sure website content is accessible.
Colour contrast
Colour contrast ratio for text and interactive elements must have a ratio of at least 4.5:1.
WCAG 2.2 Success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (minimum)
Check colour contrast using the WebAim: Colour contrast checker
Colours used on plymouth.gov.uk
Page title
Title your page properly. Make sure it’s descriptive and clearly states what the page is about. If you don’t people may struggle to find it when searching. (The title is what appears in search results)
For example – Apply for a Blue Badge is more helpful than Blue Badge applications
Headings
Headings need to be properly nested and descriptive
Use the inbuilt headings. Not bold or a different colour or larger text.
Nested headings mean people and screen readers can understand the structure of a page.
Headings need to be descriptive, so people can tell what that section of a page is about.
Links
Link text should clearly explain where any links will take someone. A screen reader will scan through lists of links in isolation and won’t have the surrounding text for context.
Link text should work in isolation. Click here or More information don’t describe where the link will go.
Don't use the same link text for different destinations.
Instructions
Try not to give any instructions that rely on someone being able to see what’s on the page.
For example: Don't use Click on the green button or Click on the links on the right. Both of these rely on someone being able to see what’s on the page.
Depending on the device someone is using some things will appear in different places. For example if you're viewing plymouth.gov.uk on a mobile device, In this section will appear at the bottom of the page.
Tables
Keep tables simple with a maximum of three columns (Any more won’t display properly on a mobile device) and no merging or nesting of cells.
You should be able to use the keyboard to tab through a table cell by cell and row by row.
Write in Plain English
Content should be clear and easy to understand. Use plain English and avoid jargon. Read our guidance on structure and writing style.
Images, Video and audio
Images
Images used to inform should have an alternative text (alt text) description added to explain what the image shows.
Without alt text anyone using a screen readers will not know what the image is.
Images should be responsive and optimised for website use. This means they will work on a mobile device and will be quick to download.
Text within images
Images should not contain text. Screen readers won’t be able to read the text within the image and it deteriorates in quality when magnified.
Logos and brand names are excluded from this. It’s okay for them to contain text.
Video and audio
Video content should be clearly described so that anyone who can’t hear is still able to access the information.
All video added to Plymouth.gov.uk must have captions that describe the scene and any dialogue.
PDFs and documents
We try to avoid documents and PDFs. Read our guidance on documents and PDFs.
If we do upload documents or PDFs, they must meet accessibility regulations.