What accessible content is

All people will have different needs at different times which could impact their ability to use or understand our information online. 

Digital accessibility means making sure everyone can perceive, understand, navigate and interact with our online services, no matter their abilities, situation or technology.

Read more about what digital accessibility means to us.

People access the web in different ways

Our research in 2024 shows that:

• a majority (67%) of the public accessed our public website on mobile devices like smartphones or tablets
• people read differently on the web compared to print - they scan text instead of reading it word for word (GOV.UK)
• people access content in multiple ways, like using captions on videos or with different digital tools like screen readers and screen magnification

People can better access and use our digital content with the different tools, software and devices they use if we make it accessible. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) uses accessible web content

Machine learning and AI tools can also rely on accessibly created content to work. AI tools scan your content for:

• clear headings that show your main topics
• informative images with text descriptions
• lists that break ideas into small pieces
• plain HTML text that loads right away

They can skip:

• images of text or images without descriptions
• video and audio-only content without text alternatives, like captions or transcripts
• dropdown sections or accordions
• content hidden in special widgets

AI tools can access our information better if we make it accessible.