In September 2018, Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations became law.
These require websites and apps created or owned by public sector organisations to meet accessibility standards so that people who use assistive technology or have additional needs can access services and information.
These regulations don’t just cover public facing websites, they also apply to documents that can be downloaded, mobile apps, intranets, and extranets so this can have wide ranging implications for large organisations such as councils, government agencies and universities.
NOTE: We use the term “Systems” to describe the type of platforms that require accessibility action.
The regulations do not include a clear definition of what is meant by “public sector” but if you receive public funding then you may be required to comply with these regulations. This includes Higher and Further Education institutions. Further explanation of organisations that come under the regulations is given in the PSBAR scope section.
To summarise, the regulations are made up of 3 components:
- Websites, apps, and documents hosted on these systems must comply with accessibility standards. There is a timeline for when new and existing websites must comply as well as mobile apps.
- Public sector organisations must publish an accessibility statement on their websites and in apps to inform visitors about the accessibility of their websites and apps.
- The government is required to monitor that public sector websites are meeting these regulations through checking accessibility statements and checking the accessibility of a sample of sites.