• Standard for the publication of accessibility statements
• Guidance for application of the standard

Standard

Standard for the publication of accessibility statements

Services must publish a statement of accessibility for the websites and mobile applications of which they are the owners.

You will be breaking the law if you falsely declare your service to be fully compliant but have accessibility issues.

• Standard reference: DDTS-XXX
• Standard owner: Andy Jones; Head of Profession for Design
• Last reviewed: 18 June 2024

You must report compliance with this standard on the service health check hub (DfE Intranet).

This standard is within the Accessibility group of standards. It applies to all websites and mobile applications from the department. This standard should be understood and applied by anyone delivering such products and services, especially those in user-centred design, product and delivery, and service owners.

Alternative terms

Accessibility statements, Statements, Product statement, Product accessibility declaration.

Definitions

• Website: The legal definition of something accessed through a browser. For this standard, this also means any digital product or service.
• App or application: A native app which can be installed onto a device through Apple or Google App Stores

Rationale

Not all DfE’s websites have an accurate accessibility statement and those that do, don’t often declare the correct level of conformance, don’t always contain the legally required wording, and don’t always list all known accessibility issues. This means end users may struggle to get the support or information they need if they face an issue using the website.

This supports the legal requirement for websites and applications to publish a factually accurate accessibility statement as outlined by the Public Sector Websites and Applications Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This standard ensures it is applied, assured and monitored effectively in DfE.

Approved products and services

Service owners must ensure the statement is accurate and uses the correct template for the determined level of conformance as published in the Accessibility manual.

Tolerated products and services

Not applicable to this standard.

Known exceptions

There are no exceptions granted for this standard. It is a legal requirement for all DfE products, websites, and apps to have an accessibility statement.

Standard ownership and point of contact

• Point of contact: Andy Jones; Head of Profession for Design
• Standard owner: Charlotte Briscall; Chief Digital Officer