Accessibility Testing in the United Kingdom, Done by Hand

Equality Act and PSBAR audits with evidence a UK complaint cannot argue with.

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What the United Kingdom actually requires

The UK's Equality Act makes website accessibility a discrimination matter rather than a technical one. The public sector regulations go further and name WCAG A and AA outright, amended from time to time so the duty tracks the standard as it moves. Public bodies get monitored. Private ones get claims.

We audit UK sites against every A and AA rule, by hand, with a professional blind screen-reader user working your real journeys. The report shows what fails, proves it with screenshots, and hands your team the fixes.

The rules in force in the United Kingdom

UK Equality Act 2010 & PSBAR

Standard: WCAG A and AA, named in PSBAR regulation 9 as amended from time to time
Where it stands: In force (public sector phase-in 2019 to 2021)
Who it binds: Public and private sectors
Reaches sellers based abroad: Not by itself
What non-compliance costs: Discrimination claims, monitored fixes for public bodies

WCAG levels named in regulation 9: A and AA
Equality Act duty since: 2010
PSBAR made: 2018
To acknowledge a monitoring report: 7 days

The UK Equality Act dates, 4 of them

Sep 23, 2019 and 2020PSBAR deadlines for new and existing public-sector websites
Jun 23, 2021PSBAR deadline for public-sector mobile apps
Oct 26, 2022Regulation 9 is replaced: the presumption of conformity stops running through EN 301 549 and names WCAG Level A and AA directly, as amended from time to time
Oct 2024Monitoring moves to WCAG 2.2 AA, with no change to the regulations needed

Read the full UK Equality Act page

What we test, and how, in the United Kingdom

Start with the honest part. The audit is the same in the United Kingdom as it is anywhere, because WCAG does not change at a border. What changes is which law is watching and what it costs to fail, and the section above settles that.

The work itself runs in three passes. A machine finds the failures a machine can prove. A human works every one of the 55 A and AA rules by hand. Then a professional blind screen-reader user opens your real journeys and tries to finish them, the way your customers would. Every finding arrives with its screenshot and the fix that closes it, drawn from our free library of 432 guides.

None of the reference sits behind a form, either. Every number below counts pages you can go and read right now, free, whether you ever buy an audit or not.

A and AA rules we check: 55
Techniques and failures: 432
ACT test rules: 90
ARIA roles documented: 94
Terms in the glossary: 131
Checklists to work from: 9

A free 10-page scan that finds what a machine can prove, before you spend anything
Paid audits at fixed prices on the pricing page, $499 for 10 pages in 5 business days, $1,499 for 25 in 10
The exact deliverable, free to read, as the sample report

The honest limit

And an audit is evidence, not a legal opinion. We tell you what fails, who it stops, and what closes it. Whether that satisfies a regulator or a court in the United Kingdom is a question for your lawyer, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.

What owners in the United Kingdom want to know first

Is accessibility testing in the United Kingdom different from anywhere else?

No. WCAG is the same standard everywhere, so the testing is identical wherever you are. What changes is which law is watching and what failing it costs, and that is what the law section on this page settles.

Who sets the rules for a website in the United Kingdom?

UK Equality Act is the one that reach the United Kingdom first, and each has its own page here covering what it asks for, who it lands on, and how it gets enforced. Sell into more than one market and more than one of them can reach you at the same time.

Does the United Kingdom expect a published accessibility statement?

At least one of the laws that reaches the United Kingdom names an accessibility statement, so plan on publishing one. Our free generator writes it from what the audit found, so the page says what actually works today rather than what you hope works.

How much is an audit, and when does the report land?

A Rapid Audit is $499 for 10 pages, with the report in 5 business days. A Standard Audit is $1,499 for 25 pages in 10 business days. Once your team has fixed things, the re-audit is half price within 3 months.

Is a real screen-reader user involved, or just software?

Yes, on every audit. A professional blind screen-reader user opens your real journeys and tries to finish them, and we write down where they stop. That is the pass no scanner can run.

Related on this site

The reading behind the law that reaches you in the United Kingdom, and the guides that turn it into work your team can do.

Nations and cities we test in the United Kingdom

Show all 139

Accessibility testing in other countries

Show all 48

Find out where your site stands in the United Kingdom

Run the free scan. Read the sample report. Order the audit when you want the humans on it, and what lands is a report your developers, your lawyer or a regulator in the United Kingdom can act on.

Order your audit · $499 Or scan 10 pages free first