Website Accessibility for Charities: A Guide to Digital Inclusion

Website Accessibility for Charities: A Guide to Digital Inclusion

Website accessibility for charities means making your site usable by people with a wide range of disabilities. This guide explains what to do, why it matters under UK law and best practice, and how small teams can make steady progress without big budgets.

Why accessibility matters for charities

Accessible websites reach more donors, volunteers and service users. Accessibility reduces legal risk, improves search visibility and lowers support calls. For many people with disabilities, a small barrier stops them completing a donation or finding help. Fixing common issues increases income and trust.

What standards and laws apply

WCAG (technical standard)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the W3C, are the technical benchmark. Aim for WCAG 2.1 or WCAG 2.2 at level AA unless you have a reason to aim higher. Levels are A, AA and AAA, where AA is the usual target for public-facing sites.

UK legal context

The Equality Act 2010 requires organisations that provide services to the public to make reasonable adjustments. That can include websites. Public sector websites have separate regulations that require a WCAG AA standard and an accessibility statement. Charities should follow the Equality Act and use WCAG as the practical way to comply.

How to plan an accessibility programme

Start with a clear, timebound plan. Use this phased approach.

1. Audit: automated scan plus manual checks and user testing.
2. Prioritise: fix barriers that stop core tasks such as donating, registering or finding contact details.
3. Remediate: code, templates and content fixes in sprints.
4. Validate: test again with assistive tech and real users.
5. Maintain: include checks in content publishing and development workflows.

Quick prioritised fixes for small teams

Focus on items that block core tasks. These yield the most impact per hour.

• Alt text for every meaningful image. Decorative images get null alt=“”.
• Keyboard access to forms, menus and donation flows.
• Colour contrast that meets WCAG AA ratios for text and UI elements.
• Labels and instructions on form fields; explicit error messages and focus on error.
• Headings that use semantic order (h2, h3) so screen reader users can skim.
• Skip links and a visible focus indicator for keyboard users.

Common mistakes charities make

• Relying only on automated tools. Tools catch about 30 to 40 percent of issues but miss keyboard and cognitive barriers.
• Using complex PDFs without an accessible HTML alternative.
• Adding accessibility fixes late in a redesign, which raises cost and breaks features.
• Not testing with real users who have disabilities.
• Misusing ARIA attributes instead of fixing native HTML semantics.

Testing methods and recommended tools

Combine automated scans, manual checks and user testing.

Automated tools

• axe or axe-core for development testing.
• Lighthouse in Chrome for quick reports.
• WAVE for visual issue spotting.

Manual checks

• Keyboard only: tab through the whole site, complete forms, open menus and submit donations.
• Screen readers: test with NVDA on Windows and VoiceOver on macOS or iOS.
• Colour contrast: use a contrast checker that measures AA ratios for text and UI elements.

User testing

Recruit 3 to 6 people with different disabilities for task-based tests. Watch them attempt core tasks and ask what stops them. Small user tests catch problems automated tools never show.

Practical content rules for editors

• Write clear headings and short paragraphs. Use plain language.
• Use descriptive link text that explains the destination or action.
• Provide transcripts for audio and captions for video when possible.
• Do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning; add labels or icons.
• Keep tables simple and use table headers for data tables.

How developers should approach fixes

• Prefer semantic HTML first: native elements have built-in accessibility.
• Use ARIA only when native controls cannot achieve the needed behaviour.
• Include accessibility in acceptance criteria and code reviews.
• Automate tests: add axe-core snapshots to CI pipelines and run Lighthouse as part of releases.

Budgeting and resourcing

Accessibility work can be incremental. Prioritise fixes that unblock donations and service access. Use accessible themes or CMS templates to save time. If outsourcing, include an accessibility acceptance test in the contract.

Decision framework: in-house vs agency

Choose in-house if you have ongoing editing needs, a developer and a long-term roadmap. Choose an agency if you need fast, specialist remediation or lack technical resource. For mixed needs, combine both: an agency to remediate core issues, then train staff to maintain accessibility.

Accessibility statement: what to include

A short public statement builds trust. Include these points.

• Which standard you follow, for example WCAG 2.1 AA or WCAG 2.2 AA.
• Any known limitations and which pages are affected.
• How people can request an accessible format or report an issue.
• Contact details and a realistic response time.
• Review date and a short summary of recent fixes.

Maintenance checklist

• Run automated accessibility scans weekly or monthly.
• Include an accessibility step in content publishing workflow.
• Train new editors on alt text, headings and link text.
• Schedule user testing at least once a year or after major changes.

Measuring success

Track a few simple metrics: percentage of pages passing automated scans, number of accessibility-related support calls, and task completion rates from user tests. Use trends, not single scores, to judge progress.

Next steps for a small charity

1. Run a free automated scan to get an initial list of issues.
2. Fix the top five barriers that stop donations or contact forms.
3. Publish a short accessibility statement and a contact route for feedback.
4. Plan regular checks and a single user test within six months.

If you want, I can turn this into a one-page checklist you can print for staff or a short accessibility statement template ready for your site.