Why Digital Accessibility Is No Longer Optional for UK Businesses.

The UK’s Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against individuals with disabilities, including when interacting with your website. With increasing regulatory attention on digital experiences, businesses can no longer afford to overlook accessibility. Public bodies are already held to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and there’s a growing expectation that private organisations follow suit.

Accessibility isn't just about screen readers and keyboard navigation. It encompasses everything from colour contrast and readable fonts to intuitive layouts and responsive design. What benefits users with disabilities often results in a cleaner, more efficient experience for all visitors. An accessible site tends to load faster, be easier to navigate, and perform better across devices.

Manual Accessibility Testing

Our team conducts hands-on reviews to simulate real-world scenarios. We navigate entirely by keyboard, test with screen readers such as NVDA, and validate content structure, focus order and form usability. This manual testing uncovers issues that automated tools might miss, such as ambiguous link text or complex interactions.

Automated Audits with pa11y

We integrate pa11y into our development pipeline to run continuous accessibility audits. Early in development, pa11y flags WCAG conformance errors, like missing alt attributes or insufficient colour contrast. Our engineers then review each report and resolve issues promptly, ensuring every build meets AA standards before deployment.

An accessible website opens your brand up to a wider audience, including the estimated 14 million disabled people in the UK. Beyond inclusivity, it also impacts SEO, user retention, and conversions. Search engines prioritise well-structured, accessible sites, while users are likelier to return to platforms that work smoothly for them.

As more companies adopt digital-first strategies, accessibility has emerged as a differentiator. Whether bidding for public sector contracts or expanding your audience, demonstrating a commitment to inclusive design strengthens your brand reputation and gives you a tangible edge in the market.

Making your digital platforms more accessible doesn’t need to be overwhelming. A great place to start is by auditing your site for common issues, contrast ratios, alt text, and navigation flow. Work with developers who understand accessible design and can implement best practices without compromising creativity. Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing.

Looking to improve your site’s accessibility? Speak to our team about an accessibility-first approach to web development.