How we make our own work accessible
DraftDraft — these words are still waiting for Robin.
What we do to be accessible, what you can ask for, and what to do when we get it wrong.
We are led by disabled people, so we hold ourselves to what we ask of others. This page says what we do, what you can ask for, and what to do when we get it wrong.
Our website
- We build to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 level AA. We test every page with a keyboard only and with a screen reader before it goes live. The test record is on the Sources page.
- Text can be made twice as large without anything breaking. Colours pass contrast in light and dark mode. Nothing flashes or moves on its own.
- We use words, not icons, for access information.
- Every page reads without JavaScript. Every form sends without it.
Our documents and events
- Everything we publish is available in large print, plain text, accessible PDF, and audio. The brochure is also in American Sign Language (ASL) video.
- Every event we run is in a step-free room with an accessible washroom, has a remote option, and has an ASL interpreter booked at least two weeks ahead. We use a relaxed format: come and go, move, make noise, take breaks.
- Ask for a format or an accommodation we do not list. We will try.
How to ask, and how fast we answer
- Email, text, phone, mail or video call — the details are on the Contact page. Formats are on the Formats page.
- We reply within five working days. If a format takes longer to make, we tell you the date within those five days.
- Formats are free.
When something is wrong
Tell us. Say which page or document, and what happened. We fix errors on the website within ten working days and write down what changed on the Sources page. If you are not satisfied, the Access Table hears feedback at every meeting; write "for the Table" in your message and it goes on the next agenda, with your name removed unless you ask otherwise.
What we cannot do
We cannot change other organisations' websites or buildings. We publish what we checked and tell them what we found.
Our test record
| Date | Tester | Tool and version | Result | Open items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-21 | automated (npm run test:a11y, test:pa11y, test:lighthouse, check:reading), run by Claude Code for Andrew on a laptop | axe-core 4.13.0 via @axe-core/playwright, Playwright 1.63.0, Chromium 1243 build; pa11y-ci 4.1.1 with pa11y 9.1.1 (axe + htmlcs, WCAG2AA); Lighthouse 12.6.1 through Lighthouse CI 0.15.1, mobile preset, median of three runs tags wcag2a, wcag2aa, wcag21a, wcag21aa, wcag22aa, best-practice; WCAG 2.2 checks of the site's own; reading gate grade 8, 20 words a sentence | The first Lighthouse run failed once: the home page's largest paint read 2.7 s on a cold first run against a 2.5 s budget. Measured again three times it read 2.16 to 2.23 s, so the budget is now judged on the median of three runs. Lighthouse also found one console error on every page, a missing /favicon.ico; the site now declares that it has no icon, and best practices went from 0.96 to 1.00. After both changes: 64 of 64 Playwright checks passed (zero axe violations on every public route in both themes, plus the site's own WCAG 2.2 checks); pa11y-ci 25 of 25 URLs clean; every page's own prose at or under grade 8, the highest /not/ at 7.6; Lighthouse on a phone for the home page, rooms, directory and report: accessibility 1.00, performance 0.98 or better, best practices 1.00, largest paint 2.10 to 2.17 s, layout shift 0. |
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| 2026-09-18 | automated (npm run test:a11y, test:pa11y, test:lighthouse), run by Claude Code in the build session | axe-core 4.13.0 via @axe-core/playwright, Playwright 1.63.0, Chromium 1194 build; pa11y-ci (axe + htmlcs, WCAG2AA); Lighthouse CI, mobile preset tags wcag2a, wcag2aa, wcag21a, wcag21aa, wcag22aa, best-practice; WCAG 2.2 checks of the site's own | 64 of 64 checks passed: 29 public routes with zero axe violations in light and dark themes, one h1 each, the skip link first in the tab order, every image and svg with text beside it or hidden, every page's own prose at or under grade 8 with sentences averaging under 20 words; a 'Last checked' line and the accessibility, sources and formats links on every page; nothing animates under reduced motion; links keep an underline or border under forced colours; the Tab order follows the document with a visible focus ring; every target is 24 px or larger except links inside a sentence; no drag-only control; help in the same place on every page; no form asks for a reach-back twice; the page still reads at 200 % text zoom without sideways scroll; the desk's pages and forms render with JavaScript off. pa11y-ci: 25 of 25 URLs clean. Lighthouse on a phone: accessibility 1.00, performance 0.98 or better, best practices 0.96, largest contentful paint under 2.3 s, layout shift 0. |
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| 2026-09-17 | automated (npm run test:a11y), run by Claude Code in the build session | axe-core 4.13.0 via @axe-core/playwright, Playwright 1.63.0, Chromium 1194 build tags wcag2a, wcag2aa, wcag21a, wcag21aa, wcag22aa, best-practice | 30 of 30 checks passed: 27 public routes with zero axe violations in light and dark themes, one h1 each, the skip link first in the tab order, every image with alt text, every page's own prose at or under grade 9; the home, directory, report and rooms pages read fully with JavaScript off and do not scroll sideways at 320 px; the contact form posts without JavaScript; the JSON, RSS, calendar, CSV and HSDS endpoints answer with the right types and the content-security policy. |
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Last checked: September 24, 2026.