Accessibility and inclusive design WORK IN PROGRESS
Standards
- Last reviewed
- 6 August 2026
Understand the legal requirements, standards and assurance processes that help DfE teams create accessible products and services.
Legal requirements
DfE must meet accessibility legislation when creating digital products and services. This guidance explains the regulations and duties that apply, and what they mean for DfE teams.
The guidance covers:
- Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 - the accessibility requirements DfE websites and mobile applications must meet
- Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty - the legal duties that protect disabled people from discrimination and require public bodies to consider equality
- European standard for ICT (EN 301 549) - the technical accessibility standard used to support compliance with accessibility regulations
Standards
DfE accessibility standards help teams design and build products consistently while meeting legal requirements. Teams must use these standards throughout the delivery of products and services.
Find the standards in the Standards manual:
- Accessibility Statements (DDT-34) - sets out requirements for departmental websites and mobile apps to explain their accessibility, known issues and support options
- Accessibility Conformance (DDTS-463) - sets out requirements for services, products and websites to meet WCAG Level AA conformance.
Assurance
Assurance processes help teams check that products and services meet accessibility standards.
These include: