Introduction
This is your comprehensive guide to creating inclusive communications, offering essential learning and cross-sector resources from government, industry and third-sector experts on planning, content creation and accessibility checks, all in one place.
Planning and general guidance
Overall principles
- Inclusive and accessible communications – Government Communications
- Accessibility toolkit – Scope
- Design System: Accessibility – Home Office
- Accessibility manual – Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- SCULPT for accessibility – Worcestershire County Council
Understanding users and disabilities
- Guide to portraying disability – Disability Unit – GOV.UK
- Blog: Accessibility and me – GOV.UK
- Understanding disabilities and impairments: User profiles – GOV.UK
- Researching emotionally sensitive subjects – Service manual – GOV.UK
- Running research sessions with disabled people – Service manual – GOV.UK
- Learning about users and their needs – Service manual – GOV.UK
- Web accessibility perspectives Videos: Explore the impact and benefits for everyone – W3C
- Stories of web users | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – W3C
- Accessibility personas – GitHub
- How many people? | Accessibility manual – Department for Education (DfE) (This tool helps estimate how many people using a service have disabilities. The data might be old, but it gives a general idea of target audiences with specific needs.)
- Advertising is for everyone – Accessibility Network Hub
Accessible formats
Creating accessible content
Web publishing
- Publishing accessible documents – GOV.UK
- Making your digital service accessible: an introduction – GOV.UK
- Accessibility and assisted digital – Service manual – GOV.UK
- How to publish on GOV.UK – GOV.UK
- Content and publishing guidance for government – GOV.UK
- Why GOV.UK content should be published in HTML and not PDF – Government Digital Service
- Blog: Making a positive change: PDF to HTML – Accessibility in government – GOV.UK
- Sample accessibility statement – GOV.UK
- Webinar: Digital accessibility essentials – Government Communications Learning Hub (opens in new tab)
- Webinar: Accessibility – Government Communications Learning Hub (opens in new tab)
- Designing accessible services posters – GitHub
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
- Understanding WCAG 2.2 – Service manual – GOV.UK
- Introduction to web accessibility – W3C
- WCAG 2.1 primer
- WCAG decision tree
- Webinar: Accessibility culture eats WCAG compliance for breakfast (opens in a new tab)
Writing and language
- Content design: planning, writing and managing content – Writing for GOV.UK
- Style guide: A to Z – GOV.UK
- Guide to inclusive language – Home Office
- Guide to words to avoid when writing about disability – Disability Unit – GOV.UK
- Writing about ethnicity – GOV.UK
- Guides for inclusive communication: Making written communication easy to understand – Public Health Institute (USA)
- Hemingway Editor (A tool that highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors)
Hyperlinks
- How to write hyperlink text for better web accessibility – Scope for Business
- Writing useful and accessible link text for websites – University of Dundee, UK
Imagery and alt text
- How to publish on GOV.UK – Images and videos – GOV.UK
- Blog: What’s the alternative? How to write good alt text – Design102
- Everything you need to know to write effective alt text – Microsoft Support
- How to write alt-text for image accessibility – Scope for business
Surveys, graphs and charts
Maps
- Accessible maps – W3C
- Building accessible maps – Design System
- Designing a more accessible flood map – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Interactive maps (GitHub) – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Maps design standards (GitHub) – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Use of colour
- Colors with good contrast | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – W3C
- Creating accessible information and communication resources for health and social care – Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
- How to make your social media accessible – Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
- Blog: Colour contrast – why does it matter? – Accessibility in government – GOV.UK
- Contrast checker – WebAIM
Moving image (Video)
- An inclusive approach to video production – TetraLogical
- Making audio and video media accessible | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – W3C
Audio description
- Understanding success criterion 1.2.3: Audio description or media alternative (Pre-recorded) | WAI – W3C
- Audio description – Digital accessibility – University of Leeds
- Guidelines on providing television and on-demand access services – Ofcom
Captioning and subtitling
- Understanding success criterion 1.2.2: Captions (Pre-recorded) | WAI – W3C
- Understanding success criterion 1.2.4: Captions (Live) | WAI – W3C
- Subtitle guidelines – BBC
- Subtitles and captions: What’s the difference? – Design102
British Sign Language (BSL)
Social media accessibility
- Hashtags: Make your hashtags accessible – Bureau of Internet Accessibility (BOIA)
- Emojis: Why don’t screen readers always read what’s on the screen? Part 1: Punctuation and typographic symbols – Deque
- Meetings: