NDIS and aged care marketing
Accessible websites
for care providers.
If your clients include people with disability and older people, your website has to work for them. The Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines on equal access to digital goods and services point to WCAG, the international accessibility standard, and say to meet the latest version, which is WCAG 2.2. Start with contrast, text size, plain language, forms that work with a keyboard and screen reader, and an Easy Read version of key pages.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Why it
matters here.
The Disability Discrimination Act covers goods and services, including online ones. In April 2025 the Australian Human Rights Commission published guidelines on equal access to digital goods and services, which say to meet the latest published version of WCAG.
For most businesses accessibility is good practice. For a disability or aged care provider, it's the first test of whether you understand your clients. A site someone can't read is a provider they won't call.
Check your
colours and copy.
Enter your text and background colours, and paste a paragraph from your site.
Accessibility check
Can everyone
read your site?
Enter your text and background colours as hex codes, and paste a paragraph from your site. The starting values are made up.
Contrast
-
Readability
The contrast test is WCAG's. The readability guide is a rule of thumb. Neither replaces testing with real users.
Contrast
and text size.
WCAG 2.2 asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Pale grey on white, and white on light brand colours, are the common failures.
Use a body text size that's comfortable on a phone, and make sure the page still works when someone zooms in.
Plain language
and Easy Read.
Short sentences and everyday words help everyone, including people reading in a second language and people who are stressed or tired.
Easy Read goes further: very simple sentences, one idea per line, with pictures. The NDIS Commission publishes Easy Read versions of its own resources, and the aged care Statement of Rights comes in Easy Read and many languages. Easy Read versions of your key pages, like services, prices and how to start, show you've thought about who reads them.
Forms and
phone numbers.
Every form field needs a visible label. Error messages should say what's wrong in words, not just turn a box red. Test the form with only a keyboard.
Put the phone number at the top of every page, as a link that rings on a phone. Many people would rather call, and some can't use forms at all.
Images, video
and PDFs.
Every meaningful image needs alt text that says what it shows. Videos need captions, and a transcript helps people who'd rather read.
PDFs are where provider sites most often fail. Service agreements, price lists and brochures often exist only as PDFs that a screen reader can't follow. Put the key information on a normal web page, and keep the PDF as a download for people who want to print it.
Accessible pages
are clearer for AI too.
Clear headings, real text instead of text in images, and plain answers help screen readers and search engines alike. Google recommends people-first content, and an accessible page is a good start.
What I see most often
What I'd check first
on a care provider's site.
- 1
Low contrast
Light grey body text, or white text on pale brand colours.
- 2
Key information in PDFs
Prices, brochures and forms only available as PDFs that don't work with screen readers.
- 3
Forms without labels
Fields with placeholder text only, which disappears as soon as someone starts typing.
The honest bit. A checker catches the obvious problems. A proper accessibility audit, and testing with people who use assistive technology, catches the rest.
Questions
people ask.
What accessibility standard should my website meet?
The Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines say to meet the latest published version of WCAG, which is WCAG 2.2. Level AA is the usual target.
What contrast ratio does WCAG require?
At least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text at level AA.
What is Easy Read?
A format with short, simple sentences and pictures. The NDIS Commission publishes Easy Read resources you can look at as examples.
Does the Disability Discrimination Act apply to websites?
The Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines explain how it applies to digital goods and services, including websites.
Related
Keep
going.
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search audit.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.