Web accessibility compliance statement

Web Accessibility Compliance Statement

At Beacon Centre for the Blind, we have designed our website with the needs of people with sight loss and other disabilities in mind. To further enhance accessibility, we have integrated the UserWay Accessibility Widget, allowing users to customise their browsing experience based on their individual needs. Additionally, our website offers an option to turn off decorative elements to provide a more streamlined and accessible experience for users who prefer minimal visual distractions.

Web Accessibility Conformance Statement

Beacon Centre for the Blind is committed to ensuring that all web content on our website meets WCAG 2.2, Levels A and AA compliance. We regularly test our pages against these guidelines, making adjustments to meet the success criteria. Our testing process includes input from people with sight loss to ensure the website functions optimally for all users. The use of UserWay allows users to customize accessibility settings directly on our website, ensuring a flexible, user-driven experience.

Our website is tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This ensures that we meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the EU Web Accessibility Directive.

We are committed to continuously improving our website’s accessibility and usability, especially in areas where we rely on third-party services.

Compliance Standards

While we aim to ensure our website works across a broad range of technologies, we focus on modern browsers and assistive technologies to deliver optimal accessibility. We recognize that some older systems may not be fully supported and recommend using the most up-to-date browsers and assistive technologies for the best experience.

Third-Party Functionality and Services

Our website may include functionality from third-party providers to deliver certain services. Where possible, we work with these providers to ensure they meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance. However, as these services are managed by third parties, we cannot guarantee full accessibility at all times. If you encounter issues with any third-party services, please inform us by emailing enquiries@beaconvision.org.

UserWay Accessibility Widget

We have integrated the UserWay Accessibility Widget to give users enhanced control over how they interact with our website. This widget provides options such as:

• Increasing or decreasing text size.
• Adjusting colour contrast.
• Highlighting links.
• Enabling a dyslexia-friendly font.
• Pausing animations and turning off decorative elements.

This feature ensures that users can personalise their browsing experience to better meet their accessibility needs.

External Links

Beacon Centre for the Blind is not responsible for the content or accessibility of external websites linked from our pages. We encourage users to review the accessibility features of these external websites as needed.

PDF Documents

We recognize that some PDF documents may pose accessibility challenges for users with assistive technologies. Where necessary, we provide alternative formats. If you need a document in a different format, please contact us at enquiries@beaconvision.org for assistance.

Legacy Support

Although we strive to provide support for older browsers, it may not always be feasible. For a better and more secure browsing experience, we encourage users to upgrade to the latest version of their browsers.

Ongoing Improvements

Beacon Centre for the Blind is committed to continuous improvement in accessibility. We achieve this by:

• Regular accessibility audits.
• Consulting with our users to gather feedback.
• Staying informed on evolving best practices and web standards.
• Using UserWay to give users more control over their experience.

Reporting an Accessibility Issue

If you experience any accessibility issues while using our website, please let us know by emailing enquiries@beaconvision.org, and we will work to resolve the issue promptly.

Requesting Materials in a Different Format

If you need any materials on our website in an alternative format, please contact us at enquiries@beaconvision.org, and we will be happy to assist.