Accessibility

The standard we aim for

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.2, at level AA. That is the standard UK public bodies must meet, and we hold ourselves to it because our readers include engineers who work in every condition, on every device, and sometimes with an assistive tool. We test as we build and fix what we find, so this is a statement of intent backed by work, not a certificate.

What we have done

Every page can be read with JavaScript switched off; the words, the prices and the structure are all in the page itself, and no content waits on a script. The first thing a keyboard user meets is a skip link to the main content, every control can be reached and operated by keyboard, and the focus outline is always visible. Headings are marked up in order so a screen reader can move through a page by heading, images carry text descriptions, and each form field has a label with its error written next to it and announced.

Motion is kept small and is switched off for anyone whose device asks for reduced motion. Body text is set in a readable size and kept to about sixty-six characters a line, colour is never the only way we show meaning, and the blue and ink used for text meet the AA contrast ratio against their backgrounds. The two typefaces are served from this site rather than from a font provider, so the layout does not jump while a font loads and nothing is requested from a third party to render the page.

Where we know we fall short

The home page is drawn as an engineering sheet, and while its words are all in the page and reach a screen reader in order, the drawing itself is decorative and is hidden from assistive tools rather than described line by line. Some documents in the library are previews of longer PDFs, and a PDF may be less tidy under a screen reader than the web pages are; if you need one in another format, ask and we will send it. We check the site on current versions of the main browsers and screen readers, so a very old browser may show it less well.

Tell us about a problem

If any part of this site is hard to use, or you need something on it in a different format, such as large print or a plain document, tell us and we will help and fix the cause. Write to us, or use the contact page, and we reply within one working day. We treat an accessibility problem as a fault to be put right, not a request to be weighed up.