What does the Equality Act address?

The Equality Act 2010 is a key piece of UK legislation that consolidates and replaces previous anti-discrimination laws. Its primary purpose is to legally protect people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It covers "protected characteristics," including disability. For digital services, this means organizations have a legal duty to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their websites and apps are accessible to people with disabilities, as failure to do so can be considered a form of discrimination.

A. The Act requires "reasonable adjustments," which considers the cost and practicality of changes, not accessibility "at all costs."
C. The Act does not explicitly name or mandate adherence to any specific technical standard, including WCAG conformity level AA.
D. The Act does not explicitly name or mandate adherence to any specific technical standard, including WCAG conformity level A.

1. UK Government. (2010). Equality Act 2010. legislation.gov.uk. Part 2, Chapter 2, Section 20 outlines the "Duty to make adjustments," which is the core of the accessibility requirement without prescribing specific technical standards. Part 3, Section 29 covers the provision of services.

2. International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB®). (2018). Certified Tester Usability Testing Syllabus. Version 2018. Section 3.3, "Accessibility Standards and Guidelines," p. 21. The syllabus notes, "In some countries, accessibility is a legal requirement (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the USA, or the Equality Act in the UK)." This frames the Act as a legal requirement against discrimination, not a technical standard.

3. University of Edinburgh. (n.d.). UK law and digital accessibility. Website and Communications. Retrieved from https://www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/websites/accessibility/uk-law. The guidance states, "The Equality Act 2010 says that you have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for disabled people... It does not lay out specific technical requirements for websites to follow."