Content can be difficult for users with disabilities and impairments to navigate and process. Accessibility ensures people with disabilities have the same access to information and services as others in the community.
There are over 1 million people living with a disability in Victoria: that’s around 20% of the population.
People can have a disability from birth, disease, illness or accident. Disabilities can also be temporary.
You should consider the communication needs of people:
recovering from accidents or illness
with chronic health issues
who are ageing
with English as a second language
who can’t use, or struggle, with digital services
on different devices
who have low literacy.
Many of us will develop impairments as we age, which may be one or more of the following:
auditory: hard of hearing, deafness
cognitive and neurological: learning disabilities, distractibility, difficulties remembering, focusing on large amounts of information
physical: difficulties using a mouse or keyboard, limited fine motor control, slower response time
speech: difficulty producing speech for the purposes of speech recognition services or people
visual: degrees of impairment in one or both eyes, colour blindness, sensitivity to bright colours
Relevant legislation
In addition to being a human right for people with disabilities to be able to access information, services and opportunities offered through government programs, it is also a legal obligation.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 requires us to ensure people with disability have the same access to information and services as others in the community. Under the Act, you can’t discriminate against a person with disability by excluding access to information and services.
The Disability Act 2006 (Vic) states under the objectives and principles that people with disability have the same right as other members of the community to access information and communicate in ways that are appropriate to their communication and cultural needs.
The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) makes it against the law to discriminate against someone because of specific personal characteristics.
The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) states in section 18.2.b “Every eligible person has the right, and is to have the opportunity, without discrimination to have access, on general terms of equality, to the Victorian public service and public office.”
All Victorian Public Service staff and Special bodies are responsible for making their content accessible.
Making content accessible means all Victorians – no matter their ability – have equal access to Victorian Government information.
To do this well, you need to be aware of the diverse range of needs in the community and how to plan and create your content with accessibility in mind.
For guidance on creating accessible print documents, hosting accessible events and communicating in person with various disability groups, read the Victorian Government accessible communications policy
Victorian Government mandatory standards
These standards apply to all internal and external communication and information sharing activities.
All Victorian Government communication and advertising must follow the guidelines set out in Brand Victoria.
By following the Brand Victoria guidelines and picking colours from the approved palette and themes you can ensure content will be ‘accessible by design’.
Plain language and easy to read are different.
Plain language is a system of writing that is clear, direct and easy to understand. It has no ambiguity or unnecessarily difficult words.
Easy Read uses further simplified language and layout, in combination with images or symbols.
The WCAG guidelines are designed to make websites universally accessible. They also improve the experience for users without disabilities.
There are three levels of WCAG:
Level A: the minimum level
Level AA: the medium level
Level AAA: the highest level
In Victoria, all digital content and websites must, at a minimum, meet the current WCAG version Level AA. As of January 2025, this is WCAG 2.2. We encourage people to aim for Level AAA where possible.
Your images must have alternative text (alt-text) if it conveys information or meaning. Alt-text is announced by screen readers and helps users understand the content and function of an image. Alt-text is also displayed by the browser when an image can't be loaded'.
Alt-text must be descriptive but remain concise. For example, don’t say ‘Photo of a tree’, instead, express what the message of the image is, ‘Maple tree provides welcome shade over a park bench and bus stop’. Good alternative text also helps search engines make better sense of the page.
Good alternative text also helps search engines make better sense of the page.
Colours for graphics or text need to align with the Brand Victoria colour palette, and there must be enough contrast between colour of the text and the colour of the background.
All new videos produced by Victorian Public Service bodies and Special bodies must include closed captions. If you use auto-generated closed captions, make sure to check they are correct before publishing your video. It is good practice to also provide a transcript of your video.
Refer to the Victorian Government accessible communications policy for further guidance.
It is best to try to avoid using PDFs, or Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel documents online. These file types are not mobile-friendly, as they take longer to download than HTML, and cannot be made responsive.
All documents must have a web page equivalent
To ensure you’re compliant, always start developing content with a webpage in mind. Only use a document as a secondary source of information that’s already on your webpage. Exceptions here are documents being provided for printing, like posters.
learn how to self-assess your own work for AA compliance.
To get you started, below are the basics for improving accessibility.
Victorian public servants can find further resources and training in the Innovation Network, including joining our Plain Language Community of Practice.
Headings need to be identified (that is, as an H1 etc.) and structured correctly (that is, H1 then H2 – not H1 then H3.) This helps readers navigate content and provides important information on page structure.
Also, headings should only be used to label sections of content and not for visual styling.
Links need to describe where you’re taking the user. Make sure they make sense when read in isolation – don’t use ‘click here’ and ‘read more’. This applies to in-text and standalone links.
Tip: Don’t write 'For the WCAG guidelines click here.'
Do write: 'For more information, read the WCAG guidelines.'
An accessibility statement provides standard and consistent wording to inform those with a disability that accessible or alternative formats, support and aids are available upon request. Documents, publications, event invitations and web content should include an accessibility statement offering support.
Avoid naming an individual as a contact point. Instead try to use URLs, email addresses and phone numbers that will remain current for the life of the document or website.
Here is an example of an accessibility statement for publications or documents:
Contact us if you need this information in an accessible format, such as large print or audio. Please call [insert phone] or email [insert email]. This document can also be found in HTML or PDF formats on our website [insert link].
Contact us if you need this information in an accessible format, such as large print or audio. Please call [insert phone] or email [insert email]. This document can also be found in HTML or PDF formats on our website [insert link].
Here is an example of an accessibility statement for event invitations:
We aim to ensure that people have equal access to public events. If you need alternative formats or other reasonable adjustments, please contact [name] on [phone number] or via email [email address] with your request by close of business on [deadline] so that arrangements, where possible, can be made.
Complying with internal ICT policy and procedures
Your agency should already be embedding web accessibility into your IT and communication policies and practices. This covers:
IT infrastructure
online publishing procedures
training and education
procurement
ongoing web accessibility action plans
executive reporting
all internal documents
Your agency is encouraged to develop, maintain, and provide:
adequate resources to effectively deliver web accessibility
publishing procedures that incorporate web accessibility quality control and risk management
IT policy detailing scheduled web accessibility audits
ongoing action plans, managing possible instances of inaccessibility
education and awareness programs, providing staff with the necessary skills to deliver accessibility
regular reporting to your executive.
Include agency intranets, third-party (external) sites and social media in your ICT policies.
Updating your procurement processes
Agencies should update their ICT procurement processes, especially those relating to websites and web-based service delivery, to include specific web accessibility criteria. Updating your procurement processes will help your agency achieve value for money by reducing the need for re-work or customisation to meet the mandatory accessibility standards. The federal Department of Finance website has more advice and information.
Accessibility organisations and resources
Here are some contact details for organisations that can provide services and information to assist you to provide accessible communications.
Able Australia
A not-for-profit organisation supporting people with multiple disabilities, including deafblindness.
Better Hearing Australia can provide more information on hearing augmentation systems to support people with a hearing impairment to access meetings and events. It also provides hearing impairment awareness training.
Not-for-profit organisation Scope has a Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre(opens in a new window) that specialises in Easy English, plain language and other accessible written information. Scope can provide training, consultancy and peer support and partners with organisations and businesses to provide written information in accessible formats.
Telephone relay services
National Relay Service(opens in a new window) is an Australia-wide telephone access service that relays calls. People with speech and hearing impairment can contact anyone through the National Relay Service. They can use a Teletypewriter (TTY) or a computer with internet access.