Making your digital content accessible

Accessible content allows the widest range of people possible to engage with information.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) defines it as follow:

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can equally perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with websites and tools.

Digital communication continues to grow. People rely on technology for connection to the outside world. Accessibility is a critical part of publishing digital communication.

Here are some resources to help you develop your accessibility knowledge, understand some aspects of digital accessibility and share them with your teams and apply some techniques to make your digital content accessible.

Accessible by default resources

The Government Communication Service logo above icons of an eye, a person in a wheelchair, an ear, and a head with a visible mind. Text reads: "Keep it simple, clear, accessible. Let's build a more inclusive online world. For more information, scan the QR code or visit: gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/24Percent." A QR code image follows."

The GCS Innovation Lab has created a range of resources (GCS members only) to raise awareness on the importance of accessible digital communications, in collaboration with GCS members and experts in accessibility and disability, from across the Civil Service. These resources have been created to accurately reflect access issues and suit the needs of GCS communicators.

Design for government

Do: use good colour contrasts and readable font size, don't use low colour contrasts and small font size.
Screenshot from UK Home Office poster about designing for people with low vision.

Writing inclusive language

Accessible links

Accessible visuals

color wheel, palette, normal vision protanopia color blindness
Colour wheel and palette, as seen with normal vision on the left and as seen with protanopia

Accessible videos

Accessible images

Accessible data

Accessible tables

Accessible diagrams, charts and maps

Accessible spreadsheets

    Image credit:
  • Colour wheel: Shuttertock/Sandy Storm (1)

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