What You Should Know About UK Accessibility Laws

One of the key pieces of web accessibility legislation in the UK is the Equality Act of 2010, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 across the UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland).

The Equality Act provides protection for people discriminated against because they are perceived to have, or are associated with someone who has, a "protected characteristic," including:

• Age
• Religion
• Disability
• Gender
• Partnerships (Marriage and Civil)
• Race
• Sex
• Sexual Orientation

Under the Equality Act, private businesses must make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate people with disabilities. However, most private businesses do not have a legal obligation to meet a certain level of WCAG conformance.

That doesn't mean businesses can afford to ignore WCAG. In fact, a 2020 survey by Scopes found that 21% of working age adults and 42% of pension age adults in the UK are disabled. And those numbers don't include people with temporary or situational disabilities.

By following the latest WCAG standards, businesses can make their digital content more accessible to everyone - and avoid leaving a potentially large percentage of their customers behind.