UK Equality Act (2010)

The UK Equality Act (2010) is a British law designed to protect individuals from discrimination and to promote a fairer society. It identifies nine protected characteristics, including disability, and legally requires organizations to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure that people with disabilities are not at a disadvantage. For digital services and software, this means making websites and applications accessible so that people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments can use them effectively.

Example: A company launches a new online service in the UK. To comply with the UK Equality Act, the development team must ensure the user interface, including the login page, is accessible. This involves a quality assurance professional verifying that the website can be fully operated using only a keyboard, which is a necessary adjustment for people who have difficulty using a mouse. They would also check that the page's design and code support assistive technologies, like screen readers, so that a user with a visual impairment can understand and interact with the login form.