Accessibility statement
The target is WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Here is what has been built to meet it, what we know is imperfect, and how to tell us when something blocks you.
The standard we are working to
This site aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.2, at Level AA. That is the level most public-sector rules point at, and it is a sensible floor for a publication whose whole job is to be read.
Accessibility is treated as part of building a page rather than as a pass at the end. The design tokens, the focus styles and the motion rules all live in the stylesheet, so a new page inherits them by default.
What has been done
Semantic landmarks
Every page is built from real landmarks: a banner header, a single main region, navigation elements with accessible names, and a footer. Headings run in order with exactly one h1 per page, so a screen reader can skim the page the way a sighted reader does.
Skip link
The first thing in the tab order is a skip link that jumps past the header and navigation straight to the main content. It is hidden until focused, then clearly visible.
Visible focus
Focus is never removed. Every focusable element takes a two-pixel focus ring in the accent colour with a three-pixel offset, so the ring reads clearly against both the cream page and the dark bands.
Reduced motion
The site respects prefers-reduced-motion. When it is set, entrance animations render in their final state instead of moving, the slow hero drift stops, marquees and view transitions are disabled, and smooth scrolling is turned off.
Contrast
Body text meets at least 4.5:1 against its background, and large display text meets at least 3:1. The dark bands were built around the same thresholds rather than being checked afterwards.
Keyboard operation
Menus, the search dialog and the mobile navigation are all operable from the keyboard. Dropdowns open and close with the keyboard, the search dialog traps focus while it is open, Escape closes it, and focus returns to the control that opened it.
Images and media
Every meaningful image carries alternative text describing what matters about it, and purely decorative artwork is marked so assistive technology skips it. Images have intrinsic width and height, so the page does not jump around while it loads.
Forms
Every field has a visible, associated label rather than a placeholder standing in for one. Errors are given as text next to the field they belong to, and status messages are announced rather than only shown.
Text and zoom
Text is set in relative units and reflows to 400 per cent zoom without a horizontal scrollbar on a standard screen. Line lengths are held near 65 characters, which helps readers with dyslexia and anyone reading on a phone.
Where we know there is work to do
Article bodies are written by people, and a complex table or a densely annotated drawing can still be harder to follow with a screen reader than the surrounding text. Where a diagram carries information, we are working towards every one of them having a written equivalent in the body copy rather than only in the alternative text.
Reader comments are user-generated, so their formatting is only as good as what was typed. Content contributed by readers is not claimed as conforming.
This statement describes an honest assessment rather than a certificate. No independent audit has been commissioned, and we will say so here if that changes.
How the site was tested
Pages are checked with the keyboard alone, with the browser zoomed to 400 per cent, with reduced motion enabled, and against contrast ratios taken from the colour tokens rather than eyeballed. Markup is reviewed for landmark structure and heading order.
Testing on assistive technology is done with the screen readers built into common desktop and mobile browsers. If you use something we have not covered and it behaves badly, that report is genuinely useful to us.
Reporting a barrier
If any part of this site stops you getting to something, tell us through the contact form and choose General enquiry. The most useful report names the page, describes what you were trying to do, and says what happened instead. Mentioning your browser, device and any assistive technology helps us reproduce it.
Reports go into the same queue as everything else and are read by a person. If you cannot use the form itself, that is the most important bug on this list, and any accessible route you can find to reach us will do.
If you need something on the site in a different format so that you can use it, ask. A guide can be sent as plain text.