Equality Act 2010: The UK accessibility law

Everything you need to know about the Equality Act 2010

What is the Equality Act 2010?

The Equality Act 2010 is the UK’s key anti-discrimination law. It brings together previous legislation and prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. For the digital world, this means that organisations are required to design websites, apps, and other online services so that people with disabilities are not excluded.

In the UK, more than 16 million people live with a disability, representing around a quarter of the population. This Disability Community includes individuals with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments, but the impact of accessibility stretches far wider. Older adults, people with temporary injuries, those navigating websites on small mobile screens, or employees accessing company extranets and mobile apps all benefit from more inclusive design. In practice, accessibility is not only about meeting legal requirements, but also about creating a stronger customer experience for everyone. 

The Equality Act 2010 is the British standard for web accessibility. The Act requires organisations to take steps to ensure that their websites, apps, and other digital services do not exclude disabled people. It establishes the principle of reasonable adjustments, which means making proactive changes that remove barriers and enable equal access.

What are reasonable adjustments?

The concept of reasonable adjustments goes beyond simply avoiding discrimination. Under Section 20 of the Equality Act, service providers are required to take positive and anticipatory steps to remove barriers that disabled people might encounter. In practice, this means organisations must proactively address accessibility issues instead of waiting for complaints or individual accommodation requests.

The duty to make reasonable adjustments has three dimensions:

• Removing physical barriers where possible

• Providing auxiliary aids and services when required

• Altering policies, practices, or procedures that create disadvantages

For digital services, this principle translates into designing websites, mobile apps, and extranets that are accessible to people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive impairments. Practical examples of adjustments include:

• Providing alt text descriptions for images through the correct use of the alt-tag attribute

• Ensuring full keyboard navigation without requiring a mouse or other pointer input devices

• Maintaining sufficient colour contrast and readable font sizes

• Offering content in multiple formats such as plain text or audio

• Ensuring compatibility with assistive technology tools including screen readers, speech recognition software, braille displays, screen magnifiers and on-screen keyboard emulators

How does the Equality Act 2010 apply to digital services?

The Equality Act 2010 applies broadly to both public and private sector organisations. Any business or service provider that offers goods, facilities or services to the public must comply with the reasonable adjustment's duty. This includes:

• E-commerce platforms and online retailers

• Financial service providers and banks

• Healthcare organisations and NHS services

• Educational institutions and training providers

• Entertainment and media platforms

• Government departments and local authorities

The Act's coverage is comprehensive, extending to websites, mobile applications, digital documents, and any other means of delivering services electronically. Critically, disabled people should never be charged for reasonable adjustments – these are considered a cost of doing business.

What do the Public Sector Accessibility Regulations 2018 require?

Building upon the Equality Act foundation, the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 introduced specific technical requirements for public sector organisations. These regulations require public sector websites and mobile applications to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards.

The regulations apply to central government departments, local authorities, NHS organisations, universities, and some publicly funded charities. Implementation followed a phased approach, with all public sector websites required to comply since September 2020.

How is website accessibility tracked in the UK?

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) monitors public sector compliance through regular website audits. Between 2020 and 2021, CDDO assessed 593 public sector websites, finding accessibility issues on 99% of sites tested. Only eight sites achieved full compliance initially.

CDDO's monitoring process includes both simplified and detailed testing across different types of organisations, prioritising larger public sector websites including councils, NHS sites, and educational institutions. When issues are identified, organisations receive detailed reports with 12 weeks to address problems.

What role do technical standards like WCAG play?

While the Equality Act 2010 does not specify technical standards, compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA has become the recognised benchmark for demonstrating reasonable adjustments. WCAG provides practical guidance for making web content accessible to people with disabilities.

WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance addresses the most significant barriers faced by disabled users while remaining achievable for most organisations. This standard ensures websites are:

• Perceivable

• Operable

• Understandable

• Robust across different assistive technologies

Why does accessibility matter?

The economic case for website accessibility extends far beyond legal compliance. Disabled people and their families represent significant consumer spending power, often referred to as the Purple Pound, worth approximately £249 billion annually in the UK.

Research reveals that UK businesses lose £17.1 billion each year due to disabled customers abandoning inaccessible websites. Key findings show that:

• 69% of disabled users will leave websites they find difficult to use

• 83% limit their shopping to sites they know are accessible

This data underlines that accessibility is not only a moral and legal responsibility but also a strategic business advantage.

What are the legal consequences?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) serves as the primary enforcement body for accessibility regulations in England, Scotland and Wales, with powers to investigate non-compliance and initiate legal proceedings.

While no organisations have been successfully prosecuted under the Equality Act specifically for website accessibility failures, several discrimination cases have been settled out of court. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has brought forward several accessibility-related discrimination claims, typically achieving settlements that require organisations to improve their digital accessibility.

Why publish an accessibility statement?

Public sector organisations must publish detailed accessibility statements explaining their compliance status and any known limitations. These statements must include:

• A clear commitment to accessibility

• Contact methods for reporting issues

• Details of any content that doesn't meet accessibility standards

• Information about enforcement procedures

While not legally required, accessibility statements are considered best practice for private sector organisations as they demonstrate commitment to inclusion and transparency.

What future requirements are coming?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which came into force in June 2025, creates new requirements for UK businesses serving EU markets. While the UK is not bound by this legislation post-Brexit, companies operating internationally must consider these additional obligations to avoid creating two-tier accessibility systems.

The UK government has not indicated plans to transpose the EAA into domestic law, maintaining that existing legislation through the Equality Act 2010 provides adequate protection. However, businesses serving both UK and EU markets may find it practical to adopt consistent accessibility standards across all their operations.

How does Eye-Able® support compliance with the Equality Act 2010?

Navigating the complexity of accessibility law and technical standards can feel overwhelming. This is where Eye-Able® provides practical support. With accessibility solutions tailored for businesses and public sector organisations, Eye-Able® helps to:

• Conduct comprehensive accessibility audits to identify issues

• Provide tools and assistive features that enhance usability for all users

• Support compliance with WCAG standards, the Equality Act 2010, and other international requirements

• Offer training and workshops to build internal accessibility expertise

• Deliver ongoing monitoring to ensure accessibility remains a continuous process

By working with Eye-Able®, organisations not only reduce legal risk but also open their digital doors to millions of people including the 16 million disabled people in the UK and the broader population who benefit from more intuitive, user-friendly websites. Accessibility is not just compliance it is an opportunity to create meaningful inclusion and stronger connections with all your users.

Not sure where to start? Don't worry. We are here to help.