Accessible communications learning and resources
Create accessible communications using these learning and resources.
For everyone
Start with your text and structure
- Readbility: Hemingway App can help you make your writing bold and clear, use this free app to highlight lengthy, complex sentences and common errors.
- Get your document’s readability and level statistics (Microsoft)
- Content design: planning, writing and managing content the GOV.UK guide to planning and managing digital content to meet the needs the public has of government
Making your document accessible
- Video training on how to make documents accessible, using Microsoft, with guidance for emails, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Use the accessibility checker
To help ensure that your Office files are accessible, use the Accessibility Checker, a free tool available in Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, and PowerPoint:
Watch our on-demand training in the GCS Academy
- Digital accessibility: best practice essentials (12 minutes)
- Digital accessibility for government communicators, with GDS (44 minutes)
- Accessibility Culture eats WCAG compliance for breakfast GDS/BBC webinar (58 minutes)
- Inclusive design 101 with Christina Mallon (GCS members access) (43 minutes)
- GDS Global Accessibility Awareness Day video series 7 videos
Read
- GCS diversity and inclusion blog posts
- Accessibility in government blog
- Accessibility and me: a series of interviews with people with access needs
- Experience the web as personas with access needs
Guidelines and legal requirements
- Understanding WCAG 2.1: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (known as WCAG 2.1)
- Read: Accessible communications: what is our duty (GCS members only). Ask the development adviser in your department for the GCS password or contact us for their details.
For content creators
Tools and resources
- DWP Accessibility Manual: accessibility guidance by job role from the Department for Work and Pensions
- SCULPT for accessibility Use the bite-size guidance about accessibility from Worcestershire County Council
- W3C – Introduction to web accessibility: Edx free self-paced training
Check the colour and contrast
- Colour contrast checker to achieve an AA or AAA colour rating (the minimum ratio is 4.5:1)
- WebAIM contrast checker
For website owners
- Doing a basic accessibility check if you cannot do a detailed one
- How set up a new government campaign online
- Creating accessibility statements and how to conduct accessibility checks, watch GDS Global Accessibility Awareness Day video series
- Sample accessibility statement