Accessibility statement
This accessibility statement applies to the www.notifications.service.gov.uk domain. It does not apply to the GOV.UK Notify API documentation subdomain.
This website is run by the GOV.UK Notify team at the Government Digital Service (GDS). It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
- zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- pages for template folders may be announced in a confusing way by screen readers
- the Notify status page has several accessibility issues
We also know that the emails Notify sends are not fully accessible. The NVDA screen reader announces extra spaces in emails when you view them in Microsoft Outlook.
Feedback and contact information
If you need any part of this service in a different format like large print, audio recording or braille, contact the GOV.UK Notify team.
We’ll consider your request and get back to you by the end of the next working day.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the GOV.UK Notify team.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
GDS is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
We have tested the Notify website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to a non-compliance listed below.
Non-accessible content
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The following content on the Notify website is not compliant with the WCAG version 2.2 AA standard:
Problems with using the interface
- Page headings on pages for folders can be confusing when using a screen reader. We have redesigned them and will be testing this new design for the same problems soon.
PDFs and other documents
Emails
The NVDA screen reader announces extra spaces in emails when viewed in Microsoft Outlook.
Status page
The following content on the Notify status page is not compliant with the WCAG version 2.2 AA standard:
- an incorrect heading hierarchy which fails success criterion 1.3.1: info and relationships
- missing level 1 headings (users may not be able to accurately determine the structure of content on the page)
- our status incident page is missing the main heading and the status home page has an incorrect heading hierarchy – this fails success criterion 1.3.1: info and relationships
- our status page subscribe to updates forms, when submitted with incorrect data, do not inform screen reader users of the error message when it becomes available – this fails success criterion 4.1.3: status messages
How we tested this service
We revised what makes up the common tasks GOV.UK Notify users need to complete and tested them against WCAG 2.2 in September 2024. We are now in the process of fixing all issues identified by this testing. All tests were carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre.
The parts of the website used to add email branding or letter branding were tested on 9 October 2023. The button for copying text in the page to your clipboard and the component for choosing the day and time to send notifications were also tested as part of this.
The parts of the website used to send text messages, emails and letters were last tested in February 2021. The emails we send out, the web pages users see when they are sent a file by Notify and a sample letter PDF were last tested on 11 March 2019. All tests were carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre.
We originally decided which pages to test based on the most common tasks that GOV.UK Notify users need to complete. We also tested a sample of pages with common user interface components. Since then, we test any new features or substantial changes to the service.