The role of the Accessibility Team

What the team does

The Defra accessibility team provides guidance and assurance around making interactive services, both internal and public facing, as accessible to as many people as possible by meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 to level AA.

The legal requirements

The WCAG guidelines are designed to make web content perceivable, operable, understandable and robust – regardless of the method of use.

Typically, you may think of screen reader software being used to allow disabled people to use online services. However, following the guidelines should enable people using a variety of different assistive technology (such as using only a keyboard or using voice recognition software) to use our services.

There is also a legal requirement to make Defra services compliant with the accessibility guidelines. The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 require that services meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standard and publish an accessibility statement documenting their conformance against the standard.

Consider accessibility throughout delivery

Accessibility is relevant throughout the entirety of your project’s delivery.

• During the discovery phase, you need to learn about your users’ accessibility needs. One in five people in the UK have a permanent disability and you must also consider the situational needs of your users.
• During the alpha phase, you should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines principles and identify and test any specific accessibility challenges likely to impact your service. You should also plan time and effort for accessibility audits that you will need to complete during the beta phase.
• During the beta phase, you will need to conduct accessibility testing, have had an accessibility audit, receive feedback and resolve any issues present in service. Before moving into public beta you will need to create and publish an accessibility statement documenting your conformance against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
• When moving to the live phase, you must ensure the service meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and has a valid accessibility statement.

Once live, you should check the accessibility statement at least once every 12 months to ensure that it is relevant and up-to-date.

Any new features or content in live will still need to meet the guidelines, and the accessibility statement may need updating when you make changes.

How to contact us

Contact the Defra Accessibility Team by email accessibility@defra.gov.uk.