Does your charity’s website need to be more accessible…?

EU data indicates that 5% of EU citizens do not use the internet at all because of a disability, but new requirements on website accessibility aim to address this problem by requiring more focus on making online material available to all.

Public sector organisations, but also some NGOs and charities, must now adopt best practice in making their websites accessible to all users. 

The obligation stems in part from the Equality Act 2010, which requires “reasonable adjustments” to be made for people with disabilities, but also the implementation of EU Directive 2016/2102 (on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies).

If you are building websites for organisations that may be receiving public funds, it makes sense to work out upfront whether the regulations might apply. If they do, compliance should be built into the project to avoid having to take remedial action later on.

Sebastian Allen-Johnstone discusses the regulations in more detail here.