Understanding the accessibility challenges within Welsh public services

This project evaluated the digital accessibility of various public sector organisations in Wales.

We wanted to understand what opportunities there are to improve the digital accessibility of end-to-end journeys for Welsh public sector services. Aligned with the Digital Service Standard for Wales, the project emphasised user-centered design and accessibility as integral to delivering effective public services.

We wanted to:

• investigate approaches to digital accessibility across the Welsh public sector 
• identify challenges and barriers to accessibility compliance 
• explore opportunities to enhance accessibility practices across Wales 

Some challenges we identified include: 

• a general lack of understanding and regulation enforcement around accessibility, which affects inclusivity in public services 
• Welsh bodies facing challenges in aligning with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and other accessibility standards 

We carried out desk research to review existing insights and to spot gaps in our knowledge for primary research. 

We conducted automated accessibility audits on 54 homepages and 11 service pages along with 8 manual tests. 

We interviewed 8 service providers and 5 service users with access requirements. 

To understand the regulatory process in England, Scotland and Wales, we spoke to 5 regulators. 

We also created a survey to understand current experiences across all sectors and received 20 responses from service providers. 

The findings aim to guide strategic improvements, highlighting regulatory gaps, limited accessibility awareness, and inconsistent service quality.

1. Regulation and enforcement 

There is no clear regulatory authority in Wales for enforcing digital accessibility standards. This lack of accountability results in low prioritization of accessibility, impacting the compliance and motivation levels within organizations. Public sector organisations often do not perceive serious consequences for non-compliance, leading to minimal enforcement efforts. 

2. Organisational setup 

Organisational responsibility for accessibility is ambiguous, often left to passionate individuals rather than established processes. This lack of ownership impacts consistency, resulting in varied accessibility standards across public sector services. 

The survey revealed that: 

• accessibility responsibilities are inconsistently assigned, with roles varying from web developers to digital program leads 
• accessibility practices are frequently ad-hoc, with only 25% of respondents indicating systematic implementation of standards

During our interviews with Welsh service providers, one person said, "It comes down to passion and want rather than the need to make sure accessibility is covered". 

3. Staff skills and capability 

The general accessibility maturity and skill level are low across organisations. There is a strong reliance on third-party vendors to develop digital products, yet many of these products fail to meet accessibility standards. 

Survey findings indicate: 

• 80% of respondents rely on third-party suppliers, but only 35% confirm that the products meet accessibility expectations 
• many teams lack the skills or resources to conduct real-user accessibility testing 

4. Culture and attitudes 

Accessibility is often deprioritised compared to other mandates, such as Welsh language and data protection standards. This cultural gap is compounded by limited senior leadership support, contributing to staff demotivation. Accessibility is often viewed as optional or non-essential, leading to overwhelmed teams facing significant backlogs in legacy accessibility issues. 

During our research, one participant stated that, "Some organisations are frozen by fear of the scale of the [accessibility] problem – it's too overwhelming". 

Skills and capability development 

• Develop targeted accessibility training for staff at all levels. 
• Identify specific training needs for roles critical to accessibility. 

Guidance and process improvement 

• Create adaptable guidance to help organisations of varying digital maturity implement accessible practices. 
• Strengthen procurement guidelines to ensure accessibility requirements for third-party vendors. 
• Develop a Welsh public sector-specific accessibility maturity model to evaluate and guide organisations. 

Strategic partnerships and enforcement 

• Explore opportunities to build strategic partnerships to promote accessibility governance.
• Establish accessibility as a core criterion in the Digital Service Standard for Wales and publish audit results to enhance transparency.

Guidance and process improvement 

• Explore ways to provide more adaptable guidance to help organisations of varying digital maturity implement accessible practices. 
• Understand how we can strengthen procurement guidelines to ensure accessibility requirements for third-party vendors. 
• Explore how a Welsh public sector-specific accessibility maturity model could support evaluation and guidance for organisations. 
• Work with the Chief Digital Officers to prioritise accessibility as a fundamental organisational goal across Wales. 
• Address staff demotivation by breaking down accessibility improvements into manageable goals. 

We are looking at how we take these recommendations forward across all our services and have a number of events planned, including: 

Show and tell: Understanding the accessibility challenges within Welsh public services, 15 January 2025, 2pm to 3pm 

Webinar: Disability, language and design, 21 January 2025, 10am to 11am 

Dolenni Digidol, 29 January 2025, Cardiff, 5pm to 7pm 

Our Communities of Practice will also be themed around accessibility throughout February 2025.