Accessibility

How to make digital services in the HSE work for everyone.

Our services have to be accessible by everyone. We’re guided by the EU and Irish Accessibility Directive for public websites and mobile apps.

The EU and Irish Accessibility Directive is based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). There are 3 levels of compliance A, AA and AAA. The content we publish has to meet the AA standard.

Being compliant means that people with different abilities can always access our content.

How to make things accessible

Design for as many people as possible. Think about ways people are excluded:

• They might have a disability
• They might have a 'temporary disability' like a broken arm
• They might have a 'situational disability'. They might be holding a baby while using their phone
• They might not speak the same language as you
• They might not have access to broadband internet access

This is called ‘inclusive design’. It starts at the beginning of every project. It is the responsibility of everyone on the team.