We want technology to give people the confidence and means to do what once felt beyond them. Accessibility is part of that: considering who will use what we build, the barriers they might face and how our choices can help.
We keep this in mind when designing and developing digital products, and in how people access our own website and services.
Here’s what we commit to.
We don’t assume everyone sees, hears, moves, reads or processes information in the same way. From the start of a project, we consider disabled people, people who use assistive technology and people with different levels of digital confidence.
We also think about the circumstances in which someone might use a product, whether they’re on a small screen, distracted, tired or dealing with an unfamiliar task.
We favour plain language, predictable navigation and interfaces that help people understand what to do next. We aim to keep tasks manageable, reduce unnecessary distractions and make mistakes easier to recover from.
Visual design should support understanding and use. We consider colour contrast, readable text, clear controls and alternatives to information conveyed through colour, sound or motion alone.
We use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at AA level to guide our design and development. We favour built-in web features that support accessibility, adding extra support where custom interactions need it.
We use automated tools alongside manual checks, such as keyboard navigation and screen-reader checks of important interactions, to identify barriers. Automated results alone do not establish accessibility, and we only claim that a product meets a standard when an assessment supports that claim.
We discuss accessibility as part of understanding a project and the people it serves. We agree the requirements and testing needed, including where more detailed assessment or specialist input is appropriate and any specific obligations the project must meet.
We explain known limitations and work with clients on how to address them. Where content, third-party tools or later changes affect accessibility, we make those dependencies clear.
People’s experiences can reveal barriers that checks miss. We welcome feedback from people who use our website, our services and the products we help create.
If you have difficulty accessing something on our website or working with us, please let us know using our website’s contact details. Tell us what you were trying to do and what got in the way. We’ll work with you to find a practical way forward and use what we learn to improve.
We review this statement at least once a year, and sooner if relevant guidance, requirements or our ways of working change.
We’re strengthening our approach through:
Accessibility needs ongoing attention as products and content change. We’ll keep building on these practices and addressing the barriers we find.
