Accessibility community
The accessibility community is a group where you can:
- ask questions about accessibility, develop your knowledge, and get or give advice and support
- stay updated on the accessibility work that different departments are involved in
- meet people across government with an interest in improving accessibility
- share good practice ideas and examples
The community also helps to raise awareness of accessibility concerns or issues, which can then be addressed in blog posts, new guidance or training.
Who the community is for
You might be interested in this community if your work involves:
- writing content or code
- designing the user experience
- doing user research
- managing a product or service
You can also join if you want to learn more about accessibility, or if you do not want to tackle accessibility issues on your own.
You do not have to be in an accessibility-related role to join, but you must be working in or with government. Most people in the group are not accessibility specialists.
Get involved
Online
If you’re interested in discussing accessibility issues, you can:
- join the accessibility community discussion group - to get access, contact join-accessibility-community@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk using your government email address
- join the cross-government accessibility Slack channel to ask a short question that needs a quick response - you can create a Slack account using your government email address
- write something for the accessibility in government blog
Events
The community runs cross-government accessibility meetups every year. These are announced on the accessibility community discussion group.
Community resources
Learn more about accessibility by using resources the community has found helpful, inspiring or influential.
Blog posts
Read the accessibility in government blog for tips and research. Popular posts include:
- Dos and don’ts on designing for accessibility
- What we mean when we talk about accessibility
- Using persona profiles to test accessibility
Books and newsletters
Read more about accessibility in:
- ‘A web for everyone’ - some sections of this book are available free online, including accessibility personas
- ‘Inclusive design patterns: coding accessibility into web design’ - you’ll need to pay for this book
- ‘Just ask: integrating accessibility throughout design’ - book available free online
- Accessibility Weekly newsletter
- Webdev newsletter
Accessibility groups
Learn more from organisations and groups who promote and discuss better accessibility:
Accessibility in the Service Manual
To find out best practice for accessibility, read Making your service accessible: an introduction.
Help us keep the Service Manual up to date by:
- contributing to community discussions
- telling us if something is wrong or out of date using the feedback link at the top of each guide
Other communities
You may also be interested in the following communities:
- Last update:
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Clarification of what the community is for. Expanded list of resources and ways to get involved.
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Guidance first published