Start with the important tasks
List the things a visitor needs to do: understand a service, find opening hours, arrange an appointment or send an enquiry. Include any booking tool or document that forms part of that task. A usable homepage does not help if the next screen creates a barrier.
Ask your supplier to explain the accessibility work in the proposal, including the standards and scope they will assess. Agree who checks third-party tools and who handles problems that cannot be fixed by your website designer alone.
Request demonstrations you can understand
Ask to see a person move through the important pages using a keyboard, enlarge the text and correct an error in a form. The supplier should also arrange appropriate checks with assistive technology and people with relevant access needs.
For example, if a required question is missed, the form should help the visitor find it and explain what is needed. It should not simply highlight something in red and leave the person to guess. Discuss the problem in terms of completing the enquiry.
Include writing, images and documents
Clear headings and descriptive links help people understand where they are going. Ask editors to use everyday words and explain necessary terms. Images that convey information need suitable text alternatives, while decorative images should not get in the way of reading.
Review downloads as part of the work. A beautifully designed leaflet may still be difficult to use with assistive technology. Ask whether the important information can also be provided on an accessible web page, and how documents will be checked.
Keep accessibility part of everyday updates
A launch review is a starting point. New pages, forms, images and supplier tools can introduce new barriers. Give staff usable templates and a short editing checklist, with a named contact for questions.
At handover, request the findings, outstanding issues and who will resolve them. Provide a clear way for visitors to report difficulty. Plan follow-up checks when important tasks change. Your team should understand what was assessed and what remains to be improved, rather than relying on a badge or automated score.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Task and pages; third-party dependencies; agreed assessment scope; barriers and follow-up owners.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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