AbilityNet Accreditation and Certification

An AbilityNet badge is a seal of approval from a global leader in digital accessibility and demonstrates your commitment to digital accessibility to clients and regulators. Our accreditation and certification demonstrate your accessibility credentials to your customers, supply-chain and regulators. 

We can test your website, apps and customer-facing services such as chatbots using expert auditing and feedback from disabled users.

We provide badging, a certificate and related documentation to use on your site and in tender processes.

Choose the right accreditation level

AbilityNet User Accredited shows that your service is “real-life accessible” by addressing medium and high issues.

AbilityNet Accredited Plus demonstrates real-life accessibility plus WCAG compliance, backed by testing and auditing.

Not sure which level you need? 

• Tell us your goal and deadline and we’ll help you decide which one is the best fit.

Speak to our team about Accreditation

What you’ll get

A clear, actionable report

We detail any accessibility issues found and how to fix them. You can use this as evidence to demonstrate progress to clients or regulators.

AbilityNet Accreditation badge and certificate for your site

We provide an accessibility badge to display on your website/app, with a link to documentation explaining your commitment and our testing approach. This is valid for 12 months.

What does the Certificate look like?

The Unilever Accreditation Plus Certification was issued in December 2025.

Compliance documents (VPAT/ACR)

If you need formal documentation for tenders or legal compliance, we will produce a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report.

Expert support throughout

Our team of accessibility consultants are on hand to answer questions and assist your developers, so you’re never left stuck or confused while implementing improvements.

Speak to our team about Accreditation

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

If the form below does not display please email sales@abilitynet.org.uk directly with your enquiry.

• Complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch.
• We will confirm the whether User Accredited vs Accredited Plus is the best fit, and confirm a cost 
• If you need a VPAT or ACR we'll include that in our proposal.

Why choose AbilityNet?

A trusted partner: Founded by IBM and Microsoft we have 25 years as a trusted expert working with global brands including banks, tech giants, universities, charities and many more.

Stay legally compliant: We’ll make sure your website meets all required accessibility standards (like WCAG 2.2 AA) so you avoid legal risk and welcome every customer.

Independent proof for all stakeholders: Our accreditation that proves to senior colleagues, customers and regulators that your services are accessible.

Guidance at every step: Accessibility can seem daunting, but you won’t be doing it alone. Our expert team of certified experts and disabled people will guide you through the whole process.

Invest in a partner that is making a difference: As a customer you'll be part of our community, delivering a digital world accessible to all. 

Clients we've helped

We have been a global leader in web and digital accessibility for over 25 years.Learn how we help our clients achieve their accessibility goals.

Frequently asked questions about accessibility certification and accreditation

Is there an accreditation for website accessibility?

Yes. AbilityNet’s Accessibility Accreditation is a recognised way to certify your website or app’s accessibility. There’s no single “official” government certificate for web accessibility – but our programme provides a respected third-party endorsement.

We use expert audits and disabled-user testing to evaluate your site against WCAG guidelines. If you meet the standards (or once we help you meet them), we award you a certificate and badge. This accreditation shows your site complies with accessibility best practices, which reassures your users and regulators alike.

What does WCAG compliance or “WCAG accredited” mean?

“WCAG” refers to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – the international standard for web accessibility. There isn’t a formal thing called “WCAG accredited”, but AbilityNet’s accreditation indicates your site conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA (and updated 2.2) success criteria. In other words, we test your site against those WCAG rules (among other real-world tests).

Achieving our “Accredited Plus” level means your site is user-friendly for disabled people and meets WCAG in full. It’s essentially proof of WCAG compliance, verified by an independent expert team.

Can an accessibility accreditation expire?

Yes – as your site or app changes, its accessibility can change too. AbilityNet’s website Accreditation is valid for 12 months from the date we issue it. After that, we recommend a fresh audit to check that new content or updates are still accessible (and then we can recertify you for the next year). This yearly cycle keeps you on track. Think of it like a MOT or health check for your website – accessibility needs maintenance. We’ll remind you when the time comes, and assist with re-testing so you can confidently renew your accredited status each year. [abilitynet.org.uk]

What is a VPAT or ACR, and do I need one?

A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardised document format that many organisations ask vendors to provide as part of their procurement process. It details how accessible a product or website is, section by section. An ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) is the completed report that accompanies a VPAT and can explain in more detail known issues and your roadmap to address them.

AbilityNet can produce a VPAT report for your site as part of our audit service. However, our Accessibility Accreditation goes a step further: it not only covers the formal documentation if needed, but also gives you a public-facing certification and support to actually improve accessibility.

If you’re unsure whether you need a VPAT, just ask us during the consultation. We’ll make sure you get whatever documentation or certification is appropriate for your goals.

What are the common accessibility standards I need to know?

The global standard for websites and mobile apps is WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and WCAG is the basis of legislation and standards in the UK and many other countries. The current version is WCAG 2.2, which is the standard AbilityNet uses for all its accessibility testing.

There are also specific regulations depending on your sector/region: for example, Section 508 and the ADA in the US; and the European Accessibility Act, as well as regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Consumer Duty. ALl of these will reference or mandate WCAG as part of their compliance requirements.

Our team stays on top of all standards. We will ensure your project meets the relevant guidelines and our accreditation will be based on WCAG 2.2 AA.

Find out more

Download our Digital Accessibility Services brochure for details of all our services, including inclusive user research, training, strategy and testing.