Public Services including Local Councils need to make sure that the information provided on their website can be used by all people. There are standards that we are working to meet, these are called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (known as WCAG).
These rules explain how to make digital services, websites and apps accessible to everyone, including users with impairments to their:
- Vision - like severely sight impaired (blind), sight impaired (partially sighted) or colour blind people.
- Hearing - like people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Mobility - like those who find it difficult to use a mouse or keyboard.
- Thinking and Understanding - like people with dyslexia, autism or learning difficulties.
We need to think about the different ways people interact with our digital content. For example, users might:
- use a keyboard instead of a mouse.
- change browser settings to make content easier to read.
- use a screen reader to ‘read’ (speak) content out loud.
- use a screen magnifier to enlarge part of a screen.
- use voice commands to navigate a website.
What Sefton Council are doing to improve their website.
- Advocating for why we need to provide information in the best way for all people.
- We are making our staff aware about the need for the information they produce to be accessible.
- We are giving the skills to staff to make changes to how they communicate with people, including training and peer support.
- Supporting a group of people to assist and advise us on the best ways to improve how we communicate.
- Having tools to help us comply with the rules.
For more information, please contact us