Although providers of software are not legally required to ensure that their products can be adjusted to the needs of learners with special needs or disabilities, those purchasing software – schools and colleges – are required to provide learning materials that are accessible to their disabled students. This affects the choices made by schools and colleges when selecting learning materials and, as a result, the legal obligations on educational institutions have a direct impact on the goods and services which providers offer.

This guide aims to help providers understand the legal requirements covering use of software by learners with disabilities, and to help developers and commissioners of educational software and electronic resources to create accessible, usable, adjustable and inclusive materials. It includes a list of functional requirements that are intended to help providers work in an accountable and robust way towards achieving standardisation in the accessibility of software and learning materials.

This guide applies to the software and learning materials used on individual or networked computers. It applies to tools used to access learning and learning resources, and tools used by practitioners to create resources.