What we commit to

  • WCAG 2.2 AA for the app, before launch.
  • Testing with VoiceOver and TalkBack, the screen readers built into iPhone and Android.
  • Checks on every change. Varsio’s design system, which this website is built from and the app’s screens will be, runs automated axe checks against WCAG 2.2 AA on every change, and a failure stops it shipping. Every interactive part is built on Base UI, which handles keyboard use and focus.

What the law asks of a university app

Two laws overlap, and they do not say the same thing.

The 2018 accessibility regulations. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 have applied to public sector bodies’ mobile apps since 23 June 2021. GOV.UK’s guidance says the standard to meet is WCAG 2.2 AA. The same guidance also says that “mobile apps for specific defined groups like employees or students are not covered by the regulations”, so an app only for your students may fall outside them even where your website is covered. Whether a university counts as a public sector body under the regulations turns on how it is funded and governed, and GOV.UK does not name universities either way.

The Equality Act 2010. In England, Wales and Scotland, section 91 says a university must not discriminate against a disabled student in the way it gives them access to “a benefit, facility or service”, and it carries a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Section 20 says that where the adjustment is about information, the reasonable steps include providing it in an accessible format. That duty applies whether or not the 2018 regulations do.

What follows. Build the app to WCAG 2.2 AA anyway. It is the standard GOV.UK points to, and it is the clearest way to show the Equality Act duty is met.

This website

varsio.co.uk aims to meet WCAG 2.2 AA. Its accessibility statement lists how it was tested, its known limits and how to report a problem.