Accessibility News - June
UK Launches New Accessibility Guidelines for Payment Cards
The UK financial services industry has launched a new set of accessibility guidelines designed to make payment cards easier to identify and use for people with accessibility needs, including people who are blind, have low vision, or have dyslexia.
Developed by UK Finance in collaboration with organisations including the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the British Dyslexia Association, Mastercard and Visa, the Accessible Cards Code of Practice establishes a common set of design requirements for payment cards. UK Finance says the initiative is the first national accessibility standard for flat printed payment cards.
Under the Code:
- Cards will include tactile notches that allow cardholders to identify different card types by touch alone.
- Debit cards will feature a round notch, credit cards a square notch, and other payment cards, such as prepaid cards, a triangular notch.
- There are minimum standards for font size, colour contrast and text presentation to improve readability and usability.
Additional requirements include the use of non-reflective text, sans serif fonts, consistent abbreviations, and matte surfaces behind printed information. These measures aim to support a wider range of users and create greater consistency across card issuers, reducing the need for individuals to learn different card designs from different providers.
The Code is voluntary, however participating organisations represent approximately 80 per cent of the UK card issuing market.
July is Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month will be observed throughout July, bringing attention to disability identity, culture, community and the ongoing pursuit of inclusion and equal rights. The annual observance coincides with the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark civil rights legislation signed into law in the United States on 26 July 1990.
This year's theme, "The World Works Better With Us", emphasises the value that people with disability bring to all aspects of society. The theme highlights the role disability perspectives have played in shaping innovations and accessibility improvements that benefit a broad range of people.
Disability Pride Month aims to celebrate disability while recognising the contributions, leadership and experiences of people with disability. It also serves as an opportunity to reflect on the barriers that continue to affect participation in education, employment, healthcare and community life.
Alongside celebration, Disability Pride Month encourages advocacy and awareness. Organisers are encouraging individuals, employers, educators and community members to learn more about disability history, engage with disability-led voices, challenge ableist attitudes and support greater inclusion in everyday life.
As conversations around accessibility and inclusion continue to evolve globally, Disability Pride Month provides an opportunity to recognise both progress made and the work still required to create communities where people with disability can fully participate and thrive.
What will you and your team do to celebrate Disability Pride in July?
Netflix Provides Accessibility Updates to Platform
Netflix has announced a range of accessibility improvements on its global platform, providing improvements to finding content with accessibility features as well as an increase in its audio description coverage.
According to Netflix, nearly one-third of its global membership uses accessibility features such as subtitles, dubbing or audio descriptions.
One of the updates is the introduction of "Search by Language", a feature that allows members to search for titles based on spoken language and accessibility options directly from the search bar. The update is designed to give users greater control when looking for content that supports subtitles, dubbing or audio descriptions across a range of devices.
Netflix has also reported significant growth in its audio description offering. During 2025, Netflix added more than 13,000 hours of audio-described content across 34 languages.
Looking ahead, Netflix has indicated plans to continue expanding language support and has announced that American Sign Language (ASL) content is expected to be introduced in the future.