Accessibility statement
Using this service
This accessibility statement applies to https://checklegalaid.service.gov.uk/. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for the Civil Legal Advice (CLA) service.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate the service using just a keyboard
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this service in a different format, you can contact us at civil-legal-advice@digital.justice.gov.uk.
Reporting accessibility problems
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this service. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations, contact civil-legal-advice@digital.justice.gov.uk giving details of the issue and any assistive technology you are using.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the accessibility regulations. If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) (opens in new tab).
Technical information about this service’s accessibility
The Legal Aid Agency is committed to making its service accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (№ 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (opens in new tab) AA standard, due to the non-compliance issues listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Some link text is ambiguous which might result in some users not understanding the link destination. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context). We plan to ensure all link text is clear and able to be understood by all by the end of December 2025.
Some page elements have incorrect aria attributes. This might cause some assistive technology users to have difficulty identifying form elements. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. We plan to ensure that all aria is correct by the end of December 2025.
When a page is about to time out, a dialog box lets the user extend the time to complete the page and gives a countdown until the page will time out. The time left is read out every second to screen reader users which will be distracting. This fails WCAG 2.2. success criterion 4.1.3 Status messages. We plan to ensure that the timeout dialog does not announce the time remaining every second by the end of December 2025.
Time-out
Users are not able to turn off, adjust or extend the time in which inactivity will result in a loss of data. This fails WCAG 2.1 2.2.1 A (Timing Adjustable).
We are experiencing intermittent problems with the time-out feature where users are unexpectedly timed-out without the time-out warning appearing. We are currently investigating the source of this issue.
Hide this page
The ‘Hide this page’ button does not accurately describe the link destination. This fails WCAG 2.1 1.3.1 A (Info and relationships) and 2.4.6 AA (Headings and Labels).
We understand that ‘Hide this page’ does not describe the link destination. We have purposely designed the feature to protect vulnerable users and provide a quick exit from the service rather than take users to a specific destination.
Disproportionate burden
Not applicable
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
Not applicable
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are working to fix the time-out issue listed in this statement.
We will monitor the accessibility of this service on an ongoing basis and fix any accessibility issues reported to us.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 17 September 2020.This statement was last reviewed in an internal review by Justice Digital’s Digital Accessibility Team in March 2025.
This service was tested on 22 July 2020 and issues were re-tested on 23 October 2020. The tests were carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC).
The DAC tested core journeys, key functionality and interactive features that reflect the content that the average user may encounter.
The DAC tested the service available at https://checklegalaid.service.gov.uk/.