Legal Risks and Accessibility: What UK Businesses Must Know

When you ignore accessibility, the practice of designing products, services, and environments so they can be used by people with disabilities. Also known as inclusive design, it's not just a nice-to-have—it's a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 in the UK. If your website, app, or physical space isn’t accessible, you’re exposing your business to real legal risks. Courts don’t care if you didn’t know. They care if someone with a disability couldn’t use your service. And in 2024, more than 14 million people in the UK live with a disability—many of them are potential customers you’re turning away.

These legal risks aren’t just about lawsuits. They’re about enforcement. The Equality and Human Rights Commission can investigate, issue enforcement notices, and even take you to court. A single complaint can cost you thousands in legal fees, forced website redesigns, and lost revenue. And it’s not just websites. Your PDFs, videos with no captions, inaccessible forms, and even physical entrances without ramps can trigger claims. WCAG, the global standard for web accessibility. Also known as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, it’s the benchmark courts and regulators use to judge if your digital content meets legal requirements. Ignoring WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 isn’t a technical oversight—it’s a legal blind spot.

Businesses that think they’re safe because they’re small are wrong. The law applies to everyone—sole traders, SMEs, and large corporations alike. You don’t need a big team to fix this. Simple changes like adding alt text to images, using high-contrast colors, or making sure forms can be navigated with a keyboard can cut your risk dramatically. Professional Indemnity Insurance, coverage that protects against claims of negligence or failure to deliver services. Also known as PI insurance, it’s a safety net, but it won’t cover you if the root cause was avoidable negligence like ignoring accessibility standards. The best protection isn’t insurance—it’s compliance.

What you’ll find in the posts below aren’t theoretical guides. These are real, practical breakdowns of what UK businesses are doing right—and wrong—when it comes to legal compliance. From how GDPR ties into data accessibility for screen readers, to why CRM platforms need to meet accessibility rules to avoid liability, to what happens when a business gets sued over an inaccessible booking form. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. And taking action before someone else takes you to court.