What the Equality Act Actually Says
The Equality Act 2010 doesn’t mention websites by name. Instead, it requires service providers—which includes almost every UK business with a website—to make reasonable adjustments so disabled people can access their services without unnecessary barriers.
A website forms part of the services you provide. The law also places an anticipatory duty on businesses. That means you should identify and remove barriers before someone experiences a problem or makes a complaint.
Public sector organisations face even clearer requirements. The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 require websites to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement.
The Equality Act doesn’t name a specific technical standard for private businesses. However, organisations across the UK widely recognise WCAG as the best way to demonstrate that you’ve made reasonable adjustments. It provides the closest thing to an agreed definition of an accessible website. “Accessible” means.
What WCAG Actually Covers
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the W3C, focus on four principles. Your website should be:
- Perceivable
- Operable
- Understandable
- Robust
For a typical small business website, that means:
- Images include meaningful alternative text.
- Text has enough colour contrast against its background.
- Users can navigate buttons, forms and menus with a keyboard alone.
- Form fields include clear labels that screen readers can announce correctly.
Most organisations use WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the accepted accessibility standard. Public sector regulations also reference this level.
Why Accessibility Matters Beyond Legal Compliance
Around one in five people in the UK live with a long-term illness, impairment or disability. If your website doesn’t work with assistive technology or keyboard navigation, you could prevent a significant number of potential customers from using it.
Accessible websites also benefit your business in other ways. They often have cleaner code, better structure and clearer content. Those improvements can support SEO and help modern search technologies, including the Agentic Browsing checks now appearing in PageSpeed Insights, understand your website more effectively.
Who Should Pay Particular Attention?
Accessibility deserves attention from every business. However, organisations in healthcare, legal services and the public sector should treat it as a higher priority.
These sectors often serve people who rely on assistive technology. Procurement processes for public sector and NHS-related contracts also increasingly ask for evidence that a website meets recognised accessibility standards.
Find Out Where Your Website Stands
Most websites sit somewhere between completely inaccessible and fully compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA. Unfortunately, the problems aren’t always obvious just by looking at a page.
An accessibility audit identifies the issues clearly. You’ll see what’s working, what needs a quick fix and what requires more extensive development.
My accessibility service includes a comprehensive WCAG audit and practical recommendations you can act on. Instead of overwhelming you with technical jargon, I’ll explain the issues in plain English and show you how to improve your website. If you’re unsure whether your site meets current accessibility expectations, get in touch for an honest assessment.
