The UK's first neurodiversity-led design standards body

SaaS products, web applications, mobile apps, internal tools, HR and payroll systems, project management platforms, CRM software and design system components.

For example, a project management tool where task views, notifications and navigation are assessed for cognitive load, sensory overwhelm and executive function support.

LMS platforms, e-learning courses, course authoring tools, educational apps, online training, assessment and quiz systems and virtual classrooms.

For example, an LMS where content layout, predictable navigation, timed assessments and reading accessibility are assessed across the whole learner journey.

Public websites, e-commerce platforms, booking systems, customer portals, intranets, membership sites and help centres.

For example, an online shop where the checkout, error handling, decision complexity and time pressure are assessed for the points where neurodivergent shoppers get stuck.

Council websites, NHS digital services, government portals, citizen-facing tools, benefits systems, intranets, extranets and public consultation platforms.

Under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 you must meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement, and you stay legally responsible when a supplier runs the website for you. A government study found that 4 in 10 council homepages failed basic accessibility tests. An NDC assessment gives your statement the neurodiversity evidence it needs.

For example, a council planning portal where form complexity, clarity of language, save and resume and the wording of errors are all assessed.

Banking apps, insurance portals, investment platforms, payment systems, fintech products, pension dashboards and mortgage applications.

For example, a banking app where transaction clarity, notification volume, the absence of dark patterns and information density are assessed for neurodivergent customers.

PDFs, digital documents, onboarding materials, help documentation, video, marketing materials, email templates, policy documents and accessibility statements.

For example, an employee onboarding pack where plain language, structure, reading flow and the choice of alternative formats are assessed.

Any organisation that builds or provides software, digital services, websites, mobile apps, e-learning content or other digital products. We assess the product rather than the organisation, and there's no minimum company size.

A standard assessment usually takes two to three weeks from start to report. Larger or more complex products take longer, and we agree the timeline with you before we begin.

Every assessment produces a detailed report whatever the score. If your product doesn't reach Endorsed or Certified, you receive Reviewed status and a roadmap showing what to fix and how far each change would raise your score. Most organisations reach a higher tier within one development cycle.

WCAG concentrates on visual, auditory and motor accessibility. The NDC standard assesses cognitive load, executive function support, sensory design, emotional safety and flexibility for neurodivergent users, which is why a product can be fully WCAG compliant and still be unusable for someone with ADHD or autism.

Yes. Every assessor has lived experience of one or more neurodivergent conditions, including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and sensory processing differences. That experience is the foundation of the whole approach, because it picks up what checklists miss.

NDC badges are hosted on our servers and placed on your site with a short code snippet. If your certification expires or is revoked, the badge disappears by itself, and anyone can check a badge on the Verify page.

The standard is a published, versioned assessment framework. It doesn't replace the Equality Act or the European Accessibility Act, but it gives you structured, evidenced documentation that your organisation has taken proactive steps for neurodivergent users, and in a complaint or tribunal that evidence of reasonable adjustments carries real weight.

It depends on the scope and complexity of the product. The pricing page has the detail, and founding clients receive a reduced rate.

Yes. The NDC standard works alongside WCAG. WCAG 2.2 covers visual, auditory and motor accessibility, while the NDC standard covers the cognitive, sensory and executive function ground WCAG reaches only lightly, so a product should meet both. If you already have a WCAG audit, our assessment adds the neurodiversity layer on top, and if you don't, we can recommend partners.

Yes. Public sector organisations must publish an accessibility statement under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018, and an NDC assessment gives you documented, evidenced findings for the neurodiversity-inclusive design section. Your report and certification status can be cited as evidence of proactive steps for neurodivergent users.

Yes. Government guidance recommends making accessibility standards part of your request for quotation and part of contract evaluation. NDC certification can be specified alongside WCAG 2.2 AA, which holds suppliers to account for the neurodivergent user experience as well as for technical accessibility.

Yes. Government procurement guidance asks suppliers to evidence accessibility compliance, referencing EN 301 549 and third-party audits. NDC certification is independent, evidenced proof that your product has been assessed for neurodiversity-inclusive design, and it can go into G-Cloud service definitions, Digital Marketplace listings, RFQ responses and any submission that asks for accessibility evidence, alongside your WCAG audit.

The Government Digital Service monitors public sector websites with automated checks (axe), keyboard testing, 400% zoom and assistive technology, and if it finds issues you usually get a 12-week window to fix them. That monitoring covers WCAG and leaves neurodivergent usability untested, so an NDC assessment on file shows you've gone past the minimum on the cognitive, sensory and executive function side.

You are. Government guidance is clear that you're legally responsible for your website meeting accessibility requirements even when a supplier runs it. An NDC assessment can form part of holding that supplier to account: you can ask the supplier to submit the product, make NDC certification a contract requirement or commission an assessment yourself to check what was delivered.

The disproportionate burden defence lets an organisation argue that meeting a requirement would cost too much for the benefit. Government guidance is explicit that lack of time or knowledge doesn't count, and nor does never having made it a priority. Many neurodiversity-inclusive fixes are cheap (chunking content, adding save and resume, adjusting notifications, rewriting error messages) and help a large group of people, and because an NDC assessment names each fix and the effort it takes, a disproportionate burden argument becomes hard to sustain for most of what it finds.