How Digital Accessibility Laws are Changing in the UK

Building a more inclusive digital world

In 2024, web designers and developers are prioritising building accessible and inclusive designs and user experiences. Inclusive web design is more than just a passing trend—it’s a moral responsibility. By ensuring everyone has equal access to digital services and information, we can build a fairer digital world.

In the UK, over 16 million people have a disability; that’s nearly 1 in 5 of us. Imagine the frustration of not being able to access a website or online service because the organisation has failed to consider your needs. Poor digital accessibility is a form of discrimination, creating barriers and limiting opportunities for people with disabilities.

As more information and services become digitised, so does the need to ensure that everyone can use them, regardless of ability. Worldwide, laws and regulations are being reviewed and updated to ensure that digital experiences reflect users’ diverse needs.

In the UK, the next big milestone for accessibility is due in June 2025 – is your website ready for it? In this article, we explore the upcoming changes to digital accessibility laws and explain what UK businesses can do to prepare for them.

What is digital accessibility, and why is it so important?

Digital accessibility is the practice of making websites, tools, and technologies easy for everyone to access and use, including those with disabilities. In a world that’s becoming increasingly digital, it’s crucial that everyone has equal access to digital tools, technology, and information. Both public and private organisations are responsible for ensuring that their websites are accessible and inclusive to help eradicate the marginalisation of people with visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive disabilities or impairments and create a fairer, more inclusive digital landscape.

What are the current digital accessibility laws in the UK?

Here in the UK, there are two primary laws governing digital accessibility for both public and private sector organisations, these are:

• The Equality Act 2010—The digital accessibility law requirements set out in this Act require all website owners to ensure that their website is accessible to all users. It makes it illegal to discriminate against those with disabilities and requires organisations to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

• The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018—This law requires all public institutions to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standard and have an accessible statement that describes any elements of their website that do not comply with the regulations.

These laws’ regulations are based on international standards for accessibility, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

What new digital accessibility laws are being introduced?

The next big milestone in digital accessibility law updates UK is due to come into force in 2025.

While it isn’t strictly a UK law, it will affect many UK businesses. 

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) will come into force in June 2025. It aims to remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from having full access to online services and information.

From June 2025, the EAA will become law in all EU member states and require EU member countries to enforce the laws across all businesses that they trade with. It applies to both private organisations and public sector bodies. By this date, each EAA member state must publish its own individual laws and regulations, including information about how these will be monitored and the penalties for non-compliance.

All UK businesses who wish to trade in the EU must align with EAA measures.

What are the deadlines for complying with the new digital accessibility regulations?

If you trade within the EU, it’s important to research and understand the digital accessibility laws that apply to each EU member state you trade with. Although the official deadline is June 28, 2025, some EU countries have already introduced new accessibility laws, and others are set to follow suit ahead of that deadline. Therefore, it’s important to address any accessibility concerns as soon as possible to prepare for the 2025 deadline.

What are the penalties for non-compliance with digital accessibility laws?

Because each EU member state is publishing its own individual laws and regulations, the penalties for non-compliance will vary, depending on the country you’re trading in.

Penalties could involve fines, legal action, and even prison sentences.

Aside from these direct consequences, businesses could also face reputational damages and loss of customers through non-compliance.

How can businesses ensure compliance with updated digital accessibility laws?

The EAA acknowledges and incorporates the WCAG guidelines, so ensuring that you meet these standards—to at least the AA standard—is a good place to start.

Some key good practices for complying with the EAA include:

• Provide text alternatives.
• Ensure your website is keyboard accessible.
• Provide enough time for users to read and use content.
• Provide captions and text transcripts for video and audio.
• Ensure text content is readable.
• Ensure your website is compatible with assistive technology.

To prepare for the new laws, we recommend carrying out an accessibility audit of your website, services, and products. Determine your current accessibility level and identify areas for improvement. Then, implement accessibility standards to improve website accessibility and ensure compliance.

If you’re building a new website, it’s always easiest to ensure that you’re partnering with a web designer or developer who has a comprehensive understanding of digital accessibility standards and can integrate them into your website’s wireframe and user experience (UX) right from the start of the project. While integrating accessibility features into your website retrospectively is possible, it’s not the most efficient way of working. Speak to the team at Create8 if you need help building a new accessible website from scratch.

As regulations may vary from one country to the next, it’s important to review the regulations for each EU member state in which you trade to check for additional regulatory requirements and ensure compliance. 

Remember, complying with accessibility laws is an ongoing process. It’s important to stay up-to-date with recent changes in digital accessibility laws and conduct regular accessibility audits to remain compliant and continue improving your organisation’s digital accessibility standards.

What tools and resources are available to help understand and implement digital accessibility standards?

Aside from poring over the WCAG, there are plenty of other tools and resources for digital accessibility compliance.

We’ve rounded up some of the top online tools to help you build a more accessible and inclusive digital user experience.

WAVE (Website Accessibility Evaluation Tool)

WAVE is a browser-based accessibility evaluation tool designed to help organisations identify and fix accessibility issues on their website. It visually highlights problems like missing alt text, contrast issues, and structural errors directly on the webpage, making it easy for developers to see exactly where they need to make improvements. WAVE is an invaluable tool for organisations that wish to check their website’s compliance with WCAG guidelines and improve accessibility.

Lighthouse

Lighthouse is a free and open-source tool that can be run within Chrome’s DevTools. It’s used to audit websites for accessibility, performance, SEO, and best practices. The accessibility audit provides users with a detailed accessibility score based on factors like keyboard navigation, alt text for images, and proper HTML structure. It also offers recommendations for fixing the issues identified. Lighthouse is particularly useful during the early stages of website development when it can be used to ensure that your website is built with accessibility in mind.

NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access)

NVDA is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows that developers use to test how visually impaired users will experience websites. NVDA creates a non-visual browsing experience, enabling developers to ensure a site’s content is accessible via screen readers. It’s an invaluable tool for testing accessibility features, such as ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels, navigation, and overall user experience for those relying on assistive technology.

AudioEye

AudioEye uses automated tools to identify and fix accessibility issues on websites and continuously monitor for potential accessibility problems. It can also provide users with a toolbar featuring options like text-to-speech, font adjustments, and screen reader support. AudioEye combines automation with manual testing by certified experts to ensure compliance with accessibility standards, helping organisations maintain an inclusive user experience.

AccessiBe

AccessiBe is an AI-powered tool that automatically scans and adjusts websites to help them maintain compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG. The tool offers a customisable accessibility interface that enables users to modify the website’s appearance and navigation according to their needs. It also provides ongoing monitoring and compliance reports, making managing website accessibility effortless.

Colour Contrast Analyser

The Colour Contrast Analyser is a simple tool used by many web designers and developers to check the contrast ratio between text and background colours on a website. Adequate contrast ensures that content is legible for all users, especially those with visual impairments. This tool helps organisations meet WCAG’s minimum contrast ratio requirements to improve text readability and overall website accessibility.

Partner with Create8 to improve your website’s digital accessibility

Is your website prepared for the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in 2025? If not, now is the time to implement accessibility standards. At Create8, our team of web designers and developers are experts at creating inclusive, accessible, and compliant digital user experiences that adhere to the WCAG guidelines.

Need help meeting digital accessibility deadlines and adapting to new accessibility regulations? Get ahead of the curve and ensure your website is ready for the new digital accessibility laws in 2025. Contact us today to learn how your website can be made more inclusive.