Designing for Digital Accessibility and Inclusion

Designing for Digital Accessibility and Inclusion

1. The Singapore Government is committed to inclusive design, ensuring that digital services are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. To reinforce this commitment, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) announced at its Committee of Supply (COS) Debate 2025 that the Government’s current Digital Service Standards (DSS) will be enhanced to provide better guidance to agencies in making digital services accessible to persons with disabilities.

2. The DSS, developed by GovTech, is a set of policies, standards and guidelines which helps agencies implement inclusive digital services that are easy, seamless and convenient for all to use, regardless of age or ability. The DSS takes reference from the globally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which outline best practices to ensure that web content is accessible to everyone.

3. The refreshed DSS will be expanded to explain the WCAG, and provide recommendations on how agencies can meet these standards to ensure their digital services are accessible to all. For example, offering practical recommendations, such as using tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker or GovTech’s Oobee (formerly Purple A11y) to verify text and image contrast ratios for better readability, particularly for users with low vision or colour vision deficiencies. Agencies will also be encouraged to conduct more user testing with persons with disabilities before launching digital services.

4. Beyond refining the DSS, GovTech will also enhance its tools to help agencies meet accessibility requirements and resolve issues early. Oobee, a tool that helps agencies assess website usability and suggest improvements, will be upgraded with automatic scanning to detect accessibility barriers more efficiently, enabling earlier remediation. Agencies can also leverage platforms such as ISOMER and GoWhere, which are already compliant with accessibility requirements, to build and deploy digital services.

5. Today, Oobee is already accessible to the industry as an open-source web accessibility testing tool. The refreshed DSS will also be shared with the Government’s industry partners for feedback and continuous improvement. In addition, GovTech will expand its engagement with the community, including seniors and users with disabilities, to gather direct feedback and validate the usability and accessibility of government digital services. GovTech will also collaborate with industry leaders to refine digital standards, gather insights, and raise awareness through workshops and forums. This reinforces Singapore's commitment in ensuring that government digital services remain inclusive, relevant, and user-friendly in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.