The Age Inclusive Web Standard was built to give public sector teams a practical, evidence-based tool for designing digital services that work for older adults and stay accessible as people age.
It started as a Socitm workshop. It became something we felt was worth sharing.
We are Team Elevate a group individuals working across local government in England.
We came to this from different councils and different roles. What we shared was a frustration with how often older users are treated as an edge case rather than a core audience.
Public sector digital services are increasingly the only route to essential support. But older adults who need these services most for accessing healthcare, housing, and financial help - are also the most likely to be left behind by how those services are designed.
The research is not new. The barriers are well documented. What has been harder to find is a structured, immediately usable framework that practitioners can pick up without needing a dedicated accessibility team or a large budget.
That is what this standard attempts to be.
This is not a replacement for WCAG. It builds on it.
It is also not a finished product. It is a starting point. This was designed to be used, tested, and improved by the teams working closest to these problems.
This project was developed as part of a Socitm workshop. Views are our own and do not represent our respective councils.