Accessibility statement for GOV.UK Chat

This accessibility statement applies to GOV.UK Chat.

This website is run by the Government Digital Service (GDS). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible. Particularly when on the chat interface, you cannot zoom in up to 400% without parts of the interface or focus becoming obscured.

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact GOV.UK.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

GDS is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  1. When on the chat interface, you cannot zoom to 400% without parts of the interface becoming obscured. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.10 (reflow).
  2. When on the chat interface, you cannot zoom to 400% without focus becoming obscured. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 (focus not obscured).

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We have conducted an accessibility audit with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC) and have received a report detailing the non-accessible elements of this website. We are currently working to fix the elements that fail to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 5 September 2024. It was last reviewed on 5 September 2024. It will be reviewed again following the conclusion of the private beta.

This website was last tested on 15 August 2024 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. This test of each element of the website was carried out by DAC.