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Accessibility statement

Last updated
27 Nov 2025

This accessibility statement applies to www.socialsecurity.gov.scot.

How you should be able to use this website

This website is run by Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Government. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:

  • use your web browser to change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 400% without loss of information
  • navigate the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
  • access the website using a mobile or tablet

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • some decorative images are not marked as such
  • some interactive elements have an incorrect accessible role
  • some pages require horizontal scrolling upon zooming into the page
  • some links do not have a visible keyboard focus indicator
  • sometimes groups of links are not placed together in a list
  • many documents are in a PDF format and are not accessible

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact feedback@socialsecurity.gov.scot. 

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

Social Security Scotland is committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and the exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

  1. Some decorative images are not marked as such and are exposed to assistive technology. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  2. Within search filters, if the page is zoomed in or viewed on mobile, the “Search filters” expandable accordion is identified as a checkbox instead of a button. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
  3. On some pages, users are required to scroll horizontally to view content when the page is reflowed and zoomed to 400%. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.10 (Reflow).
  4. On some pages, the “Back to top” link does not have a visible keyboard focus indicator. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
  5. Sometimes groups of navigational links are not placed together in a list. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships).

PDFs

Many documents are in non-HTML formats, for example PDF. They are not accessible in a number of ways including missing document structure such as headings and lists not determined as such, no text alternatives for informative images, low contrast and links relying on colour.

We are currently working to convert some of these PDFs to a more accessible, HTML format.

Disproportionate burden

Embedded YouTube media

On some pages, videos have been embedded to provide additional information on our services which utilise the 3rd party YouTube player.

Whilst we strive to ensure that video content is compliant with WCAG 2.2 standards such as providing captions, the YouTube player controls may present additional accessibility barriers beyond our control which may include difficult keyboard navigation, low contrast of text and buttons, and interactive elements not having an accessible name.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

As part of our work to improve the accessibility of this website, we are reviewing our policy on PDFs and other methods of delivering information with a view to making them as accessible as possible.

We will implement any changes required to ensure that this website is fully compliant with the WCAG version 2.2 AA standard.

This site uses the Scottish Government Design System which has accessible styles, components and patterns.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 26 November 2025. It was last reviewed on 27 November 2025.

This website was last tested between 28 October and 21 November 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. 

This test of a representative sample of pages was manually carried out by Social Security Scotland's User Centred Design team.

Testing technology used:

  • JAWS 2023
  • Dragon Professional, Version 16
  • ZoomText 2023
  • Windows 11 and Edge
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