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Accessibility Requirements

Legal obligations under the Equality Act and accessibility regulations for digital content.
4 min readReviewed January 2026Annual review
This UK-focused information is not legal advice.
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Key points

  • The Equality Act requires reasonable adjustments for disabled people
  • Public sector websites and apps must meet specific accessibility standards
  • Good accessibility practices benefit all users, not just disabled people
  • Accessible writing is clearer, more scannable and more effective

What the Code says

The ProCopywriters Code of Practice requires that we “follow accessibility guidelines and write for diverse audiences including those with disabilities.”

Accessibility is good practice and a legal requirement in many contexts. Understanding the legal framework helps you advise clients and create content that works for everyone.

Accessibility requirements come from several sources:

Equality Act 2010

Requires service providers (including websites) to make “reasonable adjustments” to avoid putting disabled people at a substantial disadvantage. This applies to all businesses.

Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018

Public sector websites and apps must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards and publish an accessibility statement. This is more prescriptive than the Equality Act.

European Accessibility Act (2025)

From June 2025, new requirements will apply to certain products and services including e-commerce, banking, and transport. Private sector obligations are increasing.

WCAG basics for writers

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard. While many requirements are technical, several directly affect copywriting:

Perceivable

  • Provide text alternatives for images (alt text)
  • Use sufficient colour contrast
  • Don’t rely on colour alone to convey meaning

Understandable

  • Write in plain language
  • Explain abbreviations and jargon
  • Use clear, consistent navigation labels
  • Help users avoid and correct errors

Operable

  • Write descriptive link text (not “click here”)
  • Create logical heading hierarchies
  • Make form labels clear and helpful

WCAG 2.2 considerations for writers

WCAG 2.2 places greater emphasis on clarity, predictability and error prevention, particularly for users with cognitive or motor impairments. 

For copywriters, this means:

  • Writing buttons, links and calls to action that clearly describe their purpose

  • Helping users avoid and recover from errors with specific, actionable messages

  • Avoiding unnecessary repetition of information in forms and processes

  • Using consistent labels for help, support and navigation elements

  • Warning users about time limits, redirects or changes of context

WCAG guidelines are updated periodically, with the next version already in draft form. 
 
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) website has more information on WCAG guidelines

Writing accessible content

Accessible writing is just good writing, and the practices that help disabled users also help everyone.

Structure

  • Use headings to create clear hierarchy
  • Break content into short paragraphs
  • Use bullet points for lists
  • Front-load important information

Language

  • Use plain English — aim for a reading age of 9-11
  • Explain technical terms when first used
  • Avoid idioms that may not translate
  • Be consistent with terminology

Links and navigation

  • Write descriptive link text that makes sense out of context
  • Avoid “click here” or “read more”
  • Make navigation labels clear and consistent

The screen reader test

Imagine your content being read aloud by a screen reader. Does the link text make sense? Do headings accurately describe what follows? This mental test catches many accessibility issues.

Writing alt text

Alt text describes images for people who can’t see them. As a copywriter, you may be asked to write it.

Good alt text:

  • Describes what’s in the image and why it matters
  • Is concise (usually under 125 characters)
  • Doesn’t start with “image of” or “picture of”
  • Conveys the purpose, not just the content

Examples:

Decorative image: Leave alt text empty (alt=””)

Product photo: “Blue wool jumper with crew neck, shown from front”

Chart: “Bar chart showing 25% increase in sales from Q1 to Q4” (with data table for detail)

Team photo: “Our customer support team in the Manchester office”

The business case

Beyond legal compliance, accessible content performs better:

  • SEO benefits — clear structure and alt text help search engines
  • Wider reach — 1 in 5 people in the UK have a disability
  • Mobile users — accessible design works better on small screens
  • Older users — accessibility features help aging populations
  • Situational needs — captions help in noisy environments, etc.

Framing accessibility as a business benefit (rather than just compliance) often gets better buy-in from clients.

Summary

Accessibility is increasingly a legal requirement, not just best practice. The good news is that accessible writing is simply clear, well-structured writing — skills you’re already developing.

When clients push back on accessibility improvements, understanding the legal framework helps you make the case. It’s not gold-plating — it’s compliance and commercial good sense.