Why Devon businesses should care about accessibility online

Accessibility online is often framed as a technical requirement for large organisations. For small businesses and community groups in Devon, it is a practical matter of reaching the people who need you.

Accessibility is one of those words that can make small business owners switch off, as if it only applies to government departments and multinational corporations. It does not. Here is why it matters for your organisation, wherever you are.

What accessibility means in practice

An accessible website is one that can be used by everyone, including people with visual impairments who use screen readers, people with motor difficulties who cannot use a mouse, people with cognitive differences who benefit from clear structure and plain language, and people on older devices or slower internet connections.

None of these are edge cases. In the UK, around one in five people has a disability of some kind. In rural areas like much of Devon, where an older demographic is often proportionally larger than in urban areas, the proportion of people who benefit from accessible design may be even higher.

For community groups and charities

If your organisation exists to serve a local community, which includes elderly residents, people with disabilities, or anyone who might be digitally less confident, an inaccessible website is not just a missed opportunity. It is a barrier between your services and the people who need them.

This matters particularly for organisations involved in health, social care, community transport, food provision, or any service that people rely on in difficult circumstances. The person who most needs to find out about your food bank or your befriending service is also quite likely to be the person whose needs accessibility provisions are designed to serve.

The practical basics

Accessibility does not require a full audit or a specialist consultant for most small organisations. The most impactful basics are:

1. 1

   Sufficient contrast between text and background colours so that text is readable.

2. 2

   Meaningful alt text on images so that screen readers can convey what images contain.

3. 3

   A clear, logical heading structure that helps people navigate the page.

4. 4

   Links that describe where they go rather than just saying "click here. "

5. 5

   Forms that are clearly labelled and work with keyboard navigation.

The legal position

Public sector organisations in the UK are legally required to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA. For private businesses and charities, the legal requirement is less prescriptive, but the Equality Act 2010 requires that services are reasonably accessible to disabled people.

For most small organisations, the legal risk is not the primary motivation. The motivation is simply that accessible design is better design, for everyone.

Accessible websites are also better for search engine optimisation. Many of the practices that help screen readers understand a page, clear headings, meaningful link text, descriptive alt tags, also help Google understand it.

About the Author

Dan Deveney is a digital designer, educational specialist, and developer based near Dartmoor in Devon. Through Granite & Glitch, he works with small businesses, charities, and community groups to create accessible, high-performance digital projects, drawing on more than 15 years of experience across design, education, and development.