UK Equality Act 2010 (digital provisions)

What it is

The 2010 Act consolidates UK anti-discrimination law and imposes a duty on service providers to make "reasonable adjustments" to remove barriers for disabled people. The Act doesn't cite WCAG directly, but EHRC guidance and case law point to WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA as the operative web benchmark.

Why it matters

The Act applies to *any* organization providing services to the UK public, not just public sector. Disabled users can pursue claims in the County Court for breach of the duty; settlements and court orders for inaccessible commerce sites are increasingly common.

Who it applies to

Any organization providing services to the UK public — including online services, e-commerce, and SaaS.

• Site types: E-commerce, Corporate / B2B, SaaS / Product, News / Publisher, Local business, Media / Streaming
• Jurisdictions: United Kingdom

How WQI scores it

Web Quality Index considers this standard satisfied when all of the 6 supporting factors pass.

0 of 6 supporting factors are currently collected. Sites where the remaining 6 haven't been measured will show as partial or unknown on this standard until the data lands.

Related standards

See also

UK PSBAR , WCAG AA , ADA

Standards that share factors with this one

Auto-computed from overlapping factor tickets in satisfiedBy, excluding standards already listed under "See also" above. Strong overlap suggests these standards rise and fall together when sites are scored.

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 6 shared factors Accessibility If you're a public-sector body or a private org with 50+ employees in Ontario, your website has to meet WCAG 2.0 AA — and you have to file a compliance report.
• Accessible Canada Act 6 shared factors Accessibility The federal counterpart to AODA. If you're a federally regulated entity — banks, telecoms, airlines, broadcasters — you publish accessibility plans and progress reports, and your digital surfaces are in scope.
• Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung 2.0 6 shared factors Accessibility Germany's federal accessibility regulation. Mandates WCAG 2.1 AA (via EN 301 549) for federal public-sector websites, intranets, and mobile apps.
• European Accessibility Act 6 shared factors Accessibility As of June 2025, e-commerce, banking, transport, and digital services in the EU must meet WCAG 2.1 AA — or pay fines that escalate per member state.
• Israeli Standard 5568 6 shared factors Accessibility Israel's adoption of WCAG 2.0 AA, made binding for nearly every commercial website serving Israeli users by Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities Regulations.

Other references

• guidance EHRC — Equality Act guidance
• guidance BSI BS 8878 — Web Accessibility Code of Practice