Today is the tenth Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Its purpose is to highlight about digital accessibility and inclusion. Around 20 per cent of people in the UK have some form of disability. Along with the rest of the population, they need to access services online.

At our Trust, we commit to ensure our patients and staff can access information. As a public sector body, we must provide accessible information.

An important accessibility regulation became law last year. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Online accessibility covers a range of issues, such as:

• Speech and hearing
• Colour and contrast
• Animations
• Language and reading level
• Widget usage
• Captions

Our website has risen from outside the top 100 (April 2020) to sixth place in the May 2021 index compiled by accessibility experts Silktide. Ensuring our website meets accessibility law is a continual process. Thank you to our website partner Verse One for their continued support.

You may want to experience digital accessibility for yourself. Unplug your mouse and use a keyboard to navigate websites today. Try our website and let us know how you get on.

Mark Chapman
Senior Communications, Digital
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Twitter: @_markchapman