Make Your NDIS Website Easier to Use: Practical Accessibility Checks

Our Top Accessibility Tips for your NDIS Website

By Tristram Peters · Originally published 18 May 2023

Original article and dated context

Tristram Peters is Head of Participant Engagement at Clickability, helping participants find and connect with service providers. He also co-hosts the Grow Bold with Disability and What Are You Staring At? podcasts.
Over ten years ago, web developer Joe Devon blogged that more needed to be done to make the Internet accessible to people with disabilities. His concern was that developers seemed more focused on making websites ‘pretty’ than practical. For many people who used screen readers, this meant that they couldn’t read content and large portions of the Internet were inaccessible.
Devon proposed that his community create a Global Accessibility Awareness Day, where developers around the world would test at least one page on their site using an accessibility tool. An accessibility professional Jennison Asuncion stumbled upon the blog, reached out to Devon, and well… the rest is history. Global Accessibility Awareness Day became a reality. And guess what? Today is that day!
To honour it, we want to explore how you, as a NDIS provider, can do more to make your site more accessible and what participants can rightfully expect when jumping on the Internet. We promise to keep the dev talk to a minimum (I don’t understand much of it myself, friends) and instead explain it simply and plainly. After all, we want all of it to be accessible.
Much of this is drawn from our eBook, Clickability’s Guide to the NDIS. To learn more about our eBook or to request a copy, please reach out to us at hello@clickability.com.au.

What makes a website accessible?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is a good starting point for providers, describing what makes a good website accessible. These Guidelines can be a bit tricky to follow, so we’ve grabbed some of its simplest recommendations for you, plus a few of our own:

[Clickability update, September 2026: Use WCAG 2.2 for current work. The points below are introductory tips, not a complete conformance checklist.]

  1. Use simple language. You don’t even need to be a developer to achieve this one! Skip the jargon and longwinded acronyms (the NDIS doesn’t help this…) and write as plainly as possible. People aren’t impressed by big, fancy words if they can’t understand them.
  2. Use easy-to-read formatting. Try black text on white or neutral backgrounds. This provides contrast for people with low vision. Don’t be afraid to bold the important stuff either. You might think it looks silly, but it stands out for people who need it.
  3. Put important content at the top. Avoid large banners and ensure content is easily found. You can also ‘signpost’ information, using easy-to-understand headings. Main headings are typically H1, with subheadings H2. This helps Google index your site and helps users process information.
  4. Include alternative (alt) tags. Users with low vision use screen readers to navigate your site, so ensure all your images have alt tags or image descriptions. These tags describe the image to users. Make sure you do this for graphs and diagrams too!
  5. Add transcripts and captions for videos. For people with low hearing, add transcripts and captions during playback to all your videos. YouTube offers a user-friendly captioning service, while Instagram also offers this as part of your profile for any live stories.
We agree: this seems like a lot! But following these five easy steps, which you can do yourself without the help of a developer, will go a long way to ensuring your website is accessible for thousands of NDIS participants.
How can you test a website’s accessibility?
One of Devon’s big concerns was that developers didn’t test their content often enough using screen readers. The solution? Check your content on screen readers! It really is that easy. Many browsers even come with screen reader extensions. (For instance, Google Chrome has Screen Reader.) But if you want the best experience, Vision Australia has you covered.
They recommend JAWS and Window Eyes screen readers for the workplace, or VoiceOver, System Access and NVDA for home and education purposes. They caution that every screen reader has its limitations, so don’t be afraid to reach out to their technology specialists for more information. Better yet, set up user testing with people with disabilities (paying them for their time, of course) to get the certainty you need.

[Clickability update, September 2026: Treat the named products below as a historical list. Select current assistive technology and combine testing with real user journeys; do not rely on this list as a present-day recommendation.]

Screen readers are only one tool you can use to test your site. You can also use WebAIM Training to test your site – to ensure keyboard and mouse accessibility for people with limited movement or tremors. Follow the link to learn more!
Access is more than websites.
It’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day, so we’ve obviously focused on websites. But access is also much, much more than just design. NDIS Participants don’t just need easy access to your website, but also every other aspect of your business. This includes your office if you have one, ensuring it has
  • adequate signage
  • easy access
  • dedicated car parks and toilets
  • and lift capacity.
Your also need to ensure that NDIS Participants have an easy way to contact you, including a combination of phone calls, SMS, and email, depending on what the participant’s disability might be. Wherever possible, always ensure that the language you use is accepted by the people who you are supporting. Use their preferred terminology.
We said it before, but we’ll also say it again: to ensure everything is accessible, set up user testing – and get feedback from the experts. This could include 1-on-1 testing or a workshop with multiple participants. Whatever you choose, it’s essential you pay participants for their time.
We cover this, and more, in Clickability’s Guide to the NDIS. Please reach out to us at hello@clickability.com.au if you have any questions or would like a copy!

Clickability editorial update, September 2026

What should an accessible NDIS provider website make easy?

Can someone find your services, understand where you work and contact you without asking another person to operate the site? Start there. Make location, availability and contact choices easy to find. Explain unfamiliar terms where they appear, rather than sending readers away to a glossary.

Test the enquiry form with a keyboard. Can you reach every field, see where you are and understand an error message? Try enlarged text and a small screen. Then check that the confirmation explains what happens next. These practical checks help find barriers; they are not a substitute for a fuller accessibility review.

How providers can turn accessibility feedback into fixes

Choose a real task, such as finding a service area or submitting an enquiry, and ask testers with different access needs to complete it. Record the point where the task breaks down and who will fix it. Pay people for their testing expertise rather than treating feedback as a favour.

After a change, repeat the task with the affected user or access method. Build the checks into routine updates: a new booking form, video or downloadable brochure can introduce a fresh barrier. Use WCAG guidance alongside practical testing; passing an automated scan alone does not establish an accessible journey.

Images, captions and testing that mean something

Write image alternatives for the information the image contributes. A decorative image usually needs an empty alt attribute, as W3C explains. A chart may need its information explained in nearby text. Repeating keywords in every image description does not make the page more useful.

Check automated captions rather than assuming names and disability-related terms were transcribed correctly. Use current assistive technology and paid testing with people whose access needs differ. Ask testers to complete a real task, such as sending an enquiry, and record where they get stuck. For the content itself, revisit Accessible content: part one.

Questions readers ask

Is WCAG 2.1 still useful?

Yes, but W3C’s overview recommends the latest WCAG 2 version, currently 2.2, when developing or updating accessibility policies.

Does every image need a descriptive sentence?

No. Decorative images generally need empty alt text; informative images need an appropriate alternative. See W3C’s image guidance.

Can one automated tool prove a website is accessible?

No. Include manual checks and testing with people with disability, especially for the tasks visitors actually need to complete.

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