UK Website Accessibility Audit Services (Equality Act & PSBAR)

HalfAccessible delivers UK website accessibility audits for public sector bodies covered by PSBAR and private businesses managing Equality Act obligations. Every audit combines automated scanning with manual testing by CPWA-, CPACC-, and WAS-certified specialists, benchmarked against WCAG 2.2 Level AA.

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Quick Answer

Accessibility Service Summary

Quick Answer

UK website accessibility law rests on two pieces of legislation. The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments for disabled users across all sectors, including private business websites. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (PSBAR) goes further for public sector organizations, requiring proactive compliance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA (which replaced 2.1 AA as the assessment standard on October 1, 2024) and a published accessibility statement listing any content that does not yet meet the standard. The Government Digital Service carries out unscheduled audits of public sector websites on behalf of the Cabinet Office. An accessibility audit benchmarked against WCAG 2.2 AA gives both public sector bodies and private businesses evidence of compliance and a clear remediation plan.

In Simple Terms

Think of this audit like a legal and technical health check for your website or product. Instead of guessing whether you meet local accessibility law, we test against the exact standard that law references and show you precisely where you stand.

Key Takeaways

  • PSBAR (2018) requires UK public sector websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA
  • WCAG 2.2 replaced 2.1 as the UK public sector assessment standard on October 1, 2024
  • The Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments for disabled users across all sectors, including private business
  • A public accessibility statement listing any unmet criteria is a legal requirement under PSBAR
  • The Government Digital Service conducts unscheduled compliance audits of public sector sites
  • An accessibility audit gives both public bodies and private businesses evidence-backed compliance documentation
10+ Years of Accessibility Experience
CPWA, CPACC and WAS Certified Specialists
Manual + Automated Testing
Screen Reader Testing
Developer-Friendly Reports
Global Accessibility Consulting
Audit Scope

What We Audit

We audit public websites, authenticated applications, SaaS platforms, mobile apps, documents, and design systems.

Websites

Corporate websites, marketing sites, government websites, university websites, healthcare websites, ecommerce journeys, landing pages, blogs, resource libraries, and multilingual content experiences.

Web Applications

Customer portals, admin dashboards, CRMs, internal software, enterprise workflows, complex forms, authenticated user journeys, data tables, reports, notifications, and role-based interfaces.

SaaS Products

B2B platforms, cloud software, analytics dashboards, AI applications, product onboarding flows, account settings, billing workflows, and feature-rich application screens.

Mobile Applications

Native iOS, native Android, hybrid applications, progressive web apps, orientation changes, touch targets, gestures, screen reader flows, zoom behavior, and mobile form interactions.

Digital Documents

PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint files, forms, reports, policy documents, financial statements, healthcare documents, education resources, and procurement documentation.

Design Systems

Reusable components, UI libraries, pattern libraries, design tokens, Figma components, interaction patterns, and documentation that affects many pages or product screens.

Public-facing teams

Marketing, ecommerce, healthcare, government, education, nonprofit, and service organizations use accessibility audits to make essential public content available to more people.

Product and SaaS teams

Product teams use audits to validate complex workflows, reduce accessibility debt, improve component libraries, and prepare for enterprise accessibility reviews.

Procurement and compliance teams

Legal, compliance, procurement, and sales teams use audit evidence to answer buyer questions, support VPAT work, and document remediation commitments.

Website Accessibility Audits

Evaluate public websites against WCAG 2.2 AA using manual testing, automated scanning, keyboard-only navigation, and assistive technologies.

Web Application Accessibility Audits

Review authenticated user journeys, dashboards, complex forms, data tables, notifications, custom widgets, and enterprise workflows.

Mobile Accessibility Audits

Test native and hybrid applications using VoiceOver, TalkBack, keyboard alternatives, zoom, orientation changes, touch target review, and gesture accessibility checks.

PDF And Document Accessibility Audits

Assess PDFs and office documents for tagging, reading order, alternative text, bookmarks, form fields, headings, tables, and screen reader compatibility.

Accessibility Design Reviews

Identify accessibility issues in Figma files, design systems, and component specs before development begins, reducing rework and improving handoff quality.

VPAT And Procurement Reviews

Evaluate products and prepare accessibility documentation that supports enterprise and government procurement conversations.

Issues We Identify

Accessibility Issues We Identify

Each issue is mapped to user impact, the relevant standard, severity, affected users, and practical remediation guidance.

Missing Alternative Text

Missing or inaccurate alternative text prevents screen reader users from understanding meaningful images, icons, charts, infographics, product photos, and linked graphics. We identify images that need concise alternatives, images that should be marked decorative, and complex visuals that need longer explanations.

Keyboard Accessibility

Many users navigate with a keyboard, switch device, voice control, or assistive technology that relies on keyboard behavior. We test focus order, skip links, menus, modals, tabs, accordions, custom widgets, and form flows without a mouse.

Color Contrast

Low contrast can make text, buttons, icons, form controls, and charts difficult or impossible to perceive. We evaluate contrast for normal text, large text, UI components, focus indicators, disabled states, links, and error messages.

Forms

Forms often block users when labels, instructions, required indicators, validation messages, and error handling are not accessible. We test forms with keyboard navigation and screen readers to confirm users can complete and submit successfully.

Headings And Structure

Headings, lists, landmarks, tables, and reading order help assistive technology users understand a page quickly. We identify skipped heading levels, missing landmarks, and reading-order mismatches.

Dynamic Content

Modern applications often update content without refreshing the page. We test status messages, ARIA live regions, notifications, and single-page app transitions to confirm important changes are announced correctly.

Decision Support

How To Choose The Right Accessibility Service

Feature Automated Testing Manual Testing
Speed Fast (minutes) Slower (days)
Cost Low Higher, but more accurate
Manual WCAG Review No Yes
Keyboard Navigation Limited Complete
Screen Reader Compatibility No Yes
Logical Reading Order No Yes
Meaningful Alternative Text No Yes
Form Usability Partial Yes
Overall User Experience No Yes

Helpful Statistics

  • 1 in 6 people The World Health Organization estimates that roughly 1 in 6 people globally live with a significant disability, a substantial share of any organization's customers, patients, students, or employees. WHO Disability Fact Sheet →
  • WCAG is the international technical baseline. WCAG is the international technical baseline. Regulations and procurement processes worldwide reference WCAG directly or indirectly when defining accessibility requirements. W3C WCAG →
  • 56.1 errors per page The WebAIM Million report has found detectable WCAG failures on the large majority of home pages tested every year since the study began, most commonly low-contrast text, missing alternative text, empty links, and missing form labels. WebAIM Million →

Choose This Service If You Need

  • PSBAR compliance review for public sector sites
  • Equality Act reasonable-adjustment review for private business
  • WCAG 2.2 AA gap analysis
  • Accessibility statement preparation
  • Procurement-ready VPAT and ACR documentation
  • Developer-ready remediation roadmap
Audit Methodology

Our Accessibility Audit Process

A structured process gives your team clear findings, clear priorities, and a practical path to compliance.

Standards And Technologies

Standards, Assistive Technologies, And Platforms We Support

NVDA JAWS VoiceOver TalkBack Keyboard-only navigation Browser zoom Voice Control Switch Control Axe ARC Toolkit WAVE Accessibility Insights Chrome DevTools Safari Firefox React Next.js Angular Vue WordPress Drupal Shopify Magento WooCommerce Laravel ASP.NET Java Flutter React Native
Deliverables

What You Receive After The Audit

Executive Summary

A clear summary of audit scope, key risks, priority themes, and recommended next steps for stakeholders.

Accessibility Score

A practical status snapshot that helps teams understand current accessibility maturity and remediation priorities.

Detailed Issue Report

Issue-by-issue findings with screenshots, affected URLs or screens, severity ratings, standard references, and reproduction steps.

Developer Recommendations

Practical remediation guidance, code-level notes, component recommendations, and examples your developers can act on.

Compliance-Ready Documentation

Findings organized to support accessibility statements, VPAT and ACR documentation, and procurement or legal review.

Optional Retest Report

Validation evidence after remediation, showing which issues were fixed and what remains open.

Healthcare

Accessibility audits for patient portals, provider websites, medical forms, telehealth journeys, and healthcare documents.

Government

Audits for public services, citizen portals, forms, documents, and procurement requirements.

Banking

Audits for financial journeys, statements, account dashboards, authentication flows, reports, and high-risk transactional experiences.

SaaS

Audits for B2B products, dashboards, analytics, onboarding, admin settings, and enterprise procurement readiness.

Education

Audits for university websites, LMS experiences, EdTech platforms, digital documents, admissions journeys, and student services.

Retail

Audits for ecommerce product pages, carts, checkout, filters, account flows, promotions, and customer support journeys.

Certified Accessibility Expertise

HalfAccessible brings CPWA, CPACC, and WAS accessibility expertise to audits, remediation support, documentation, and product guidance.

Developer-Friendly Reporting

Reports are written for action. Developers receive clear reproduction steps, expected behavior, affected users, standard mapping, and remediation guidance.

Cross-Border Experience

We support businesses operating across multiple regulatory regions with a single audit benchmarked to the highest applicable standard.

Practical Turnaround

Audit scope is tailored to your product and priorities so your team receives useful findings without unnecessary reporting overhead.

Checklist

Accessibility Audit Checklist

  • Page title is unique and descriptive
  • Headings follow a logical structure
  • Landmarks identify major page regions
  • Keyboard users can reach every interactive element
  • Focus order matches the visual and logical order
  • Visible focus indicators are clear
  • No keyboard traps are present
  • Links and buttons have meaningful accessible names
  • Images have appropriate alternative text
  • Text and UI components meet contrast requirements
  • Forms have labels, instructions, and accessible error handling
  • Dialogs, menus, tabs, and accordions expose state correctly
  • Tables include appropriate headers
  • Media includes captions or transcripts
  • PDFs include tags and a logical reading order
  • Mobile screens support zoom, orientation, and large touch targets
  • Authentication flows are accessible
  • Reports include standard references and remediation guidance
Topical Cluster

Use these links to connect audit findings with remediation, procurement, compliance, and industry-specific accessibility work.

VPAT And ACR Documentation

Prepare accessibility documentation for procurement teams.

VPAT Services

Ready to Meet UK Accessibility Standards?

Whether you are a public sector body preparing for a Government Digital Service review or a private business documenting Equality Act reasonable adjustments, our certified specialists will identify every real accessibility barrier and hand your team a prioritized, developer-ready roadmap. Quick audits start at $500, complete audits at $2,000.

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UK Website Accessibility Audit Services (Equality Act & PSBAR) FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about UK Website Accessibility Audit Services (Equality Act & PSBAR).

Does UK law require WCAG compliance?

PSBAR names WCAG 2.2 Level AA directly for public sector websites and apps. The Equality Act 2010 does not name WCAG explicitly but is interpreted through it in practice, since WCAG 2.2 AA is the accepted evidence of reasonable adjustment for digital services.

What is PSBAR and who does it apply to?

PSBAR is the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018. It applies to UK public sector organizations, including government departments, councils, universities, and NHS bodies, requiring WCAG 2.2 AA compliance and a published accessibility statement.

Do private UK businesses have to meet the same standard as government sites?

PSBAR itself only binds public sector bodies. Private businesses are covered by the Equality Act 2010 instead, which requires reasonable adjustments rather than a named technical standard, though WCAG 2.2 AA is the practical benchmark used to demonstrate compliance.

What must a UK accessibility statement include?

A PSBAR accessibility statement must list any content that does not yet meet WCAG 2.2 AA, explain why, and describe the plan to fix it. It must be kept up to date as issues are resolved.

Who enforces PSBAR compliance?

The Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, carries out unscheduled audits of public sector web content on behalf of the Cabinet Office and can require organizations to fix identified issues.

How much does a UK accessibility audit cost?

HalfAccessible offers a $500 Quick Accessibility Audit for smaller sites and a $2,000 Complete Audit for full-site or application coverage, plus custom enterprise pricing for larger platforms. See our pricing page for details.