Whilst national government services set a “gold standard” of digital accessibility, not all public sector services are subject to this.  More recently, the EU Accessibility Act has brought a focus on accessibility for private sector organisations operating in the EU, but the UK lacks equivalent legislation.

Such legislation has the ability to revolutionise how services are used by those with differing needs – and with one in three disabled people living in poverty, the intersection with digital exclusion is clear.  Truly accessible websites also often offer a cleaner and more intuitive user experience for those who are less digitally confident, and frequently have other benefits for brands such as better SEO and performance effects.  However, accessibility is often considered complex, specialist and time-consuming to implement, rather than openly available to all – a particular concern for charities, community organisations and small businesses.